How to Train your Spider
by andromyntra1
Summary: AU - Civil war didn't happen, but 15 year old Peter is getting trained by Tony at the Avengers Tower. This story is about how Peter works through his guilt and how he becomes a full fledged superhero. Also, how Tony learns to be a father figure, hug and spank. Warning: Spanking is an accepted punishment in this AU. Read and Review, please! (Title changed because the story evolved)
1. Chapter 1

"How often do you hug that kid?" Tony asked as he entered the lounge in the Avengers tower. Steve released Peter with a short "To your room." He turned to Tony.

"Should I keep count? I just finished lecturing him, so..." Steve finished every disciplinary or congratulatory discussion with the teens with a hug. Wanda got a lot more of the latter ones, Peter got a lot of both. Pietro didn't get much of either, which Steve wasn't too happy about.

"A lecture? Again?" Tony snapped at Peter."Your behavior is going from bad to worse! One of these days you're going to get a spanking." "Tony, don't scold him now. No double jeopardy, remember?" Steve said. Soon after the Maximoffs had moved in, the Avengers had decided that they would be disciplined only once for a misdeed. Tony gave Peter a look, then nodded in dismissal.

Peter flushed and walked off. Tony watched him. The boy was brilliant, and Tony would have taken him under his wing even if he didn't have superpowers. But he did have superpowers, and had proved his worth more than once, in every sense. His talent for getting into trouble, though!

"What did he do this time?" Tony asked. "Pranks." Steve answered.

"That's it?" "At Bruce, in his lab" Steve went on "and after Bruce told him to stop. Thrice. Today Bruce started off his experiment again and found gibberish. He checked his backups - same thing. Then Jarvis reported that Bruce's pulse had hit 100, I and Natasha rushed to the lab, and Peter's standing there. He hacked into Bruce's system it seems."

Tony winced. He had a penchant for hacking into systems, of course. And Bruce's system was tempting - but Peter knew about the Hulk! "Where's Bruce?" he asked.

"With Clint. I think he's taking a turn on the archery range. Calms him down, it seems."

Tony nodded. "He does need a spanking Steve. The next time, don't lecture him."

"I can't spank him. That's your job." Steve said as Clint walked in with a very relaxed Bruce.

"How come?"

"Remember that form you signed, agreeing to be his temporary guardian?" Clint asked

"That doesn't mean I have to discipline him. And really, i don't like physical contact of any kind" Tony shrugged, "and I don't know how to spank." he finished with a flourish.

Clint chuckled, while Steve glared at Tony. Tony shrugged.."Well, I.."

"And that's the reason he has to be disciplined. Steve's glares don't work on him anymore." Bruce chuckled. Now Tony flushed. "You know Cap, you can -"

"I'm not going to yell at him." Steve cut him off. The yelling had happened after Peter's last fiasco, when Tony had given the "Don't know how to spank" excuse. Falling back on his army background, Steve had gone to Peter's room, locked the door, and yelled at him for 15 minutes straight, shredding Peter's morals, common sense, and sense of responsibility to pieces. Peter had listened quaking, and that night, Jarvis had woken the Avengers to deal with Peter, who had nightmares which made him scream. It was up to Steve to calm him down - and feel guilty.

The next morning Tony walked in to see Peter getting hugged at the breakfast table, a huge stack of chocolate chip pancakes and syrup in front of him. As Tony watched bemusedly, Steve kissed Peter on the top of his head. "So that's what your commanding officer did?" "No, he didn't. In fact the last thing he told me was that he wasn't going to kiss me." Peter had laughed at that, and there had been no lasting damage, but there was no way he was doing that again.

"I'll see what I can do." Tony said. Surely it couldn't be that hard to spank a kid, he thought.

Peter walked to his room, his spider senses picking up every word. His bottom tingled. The trick with had been fun. How was he to know that he would freak out like that? So stupid. And now they were talking spanking. The word made him shudder. Aunt May had spanked him over her knee for years, but after 'it' happened, he had been too worried and then too busy fighting crime to get into trouble.

But he was now in a tower with half a dozen superheroes, had a lot of free time, and had managed to not get spanked only because Mr. Stark didn't like to. The conversation going on in the lounge made him uneasy. Pietro was older than him and Clint spanked him over his lap with his bottom bared. He used his hand, a hairbrush and if it was deemed necessary, one of his arrows. And Peter had seen how effective it was - Pietro had once spent the whole of the next day on his stomach. Peter thought of lying bare bottomed on 's lap and shuddered. He didn't want to lie on any of their laps with his bottom bared! He didn't want a spanking, period.

The next day, as Peter helped Tony with schematics for a new arc reactor, Tony asked him in a quiet voice. "You heard us talking yesterday, Peter?" "Yes" Peter admitted. There was no point in lying. "Well kiddo, you'd better start behaving. The next time something happens, you're going over my knee. And bare. Understand?" Tony said, still in a quiet voice. "Yes, " Peter answered. "Just stay out of trouble, you'll be fine." Tony patted his back. "Now, see the right corner. See any room for improvement?" "The second heat sink has to be bigger?" Peter asked tentatively. "Fix it, Aragoglet!" Tony said, now in a normal voice, and Peter reached over to change the schematic, butterflies fluttering in his stomach.


	2. Chapter 2

Spider-man shot his webs at the terrorist drone. He swung from them, swung right over it, and as the plane climbed up, walked over to the thrusters, which he webbed up - this time using an even stronger webbing. The drone sputtered, and at the last minute, Spider-man jumped off the drone - 10,000 feet above the ground. He jumped clear of the exploding craft, then fell straight down... Down he went, for 7000 feet, at which point he was caught by very familiar metal hands.

"Did you see that?" He asked as Iron man circled down.

"I did, and you're in big trouble!" Tony spat as he held Peter tight.

They touched down on the landing pad, to be met by most of the avengers. All the avengers, in fact, except for Clint and Pietro, who were probably still in the field. And all of them had their arms crossed, and matching frowns. Peter turned to look at Tony, who had stepped out of the armor. He was in the same pose as well, effectively blocking Peter's escape.

"Are you hurt?" Steve asked, his face immobile.

"No" Peter said in a flat voice. This was not going to end well.

The quinjet landed, and Clint got out, followed by Pietro. "Report, Barton" said Steve.

"The mission's wrapped up, the drone's destroyed, and Pietro got everyone on the literally didn't know what hit them!" Clint said.

"Pietro, Well done. Now go inside, we'll have a discussion later." Pietro had been beaming, but his face fell at Steve's tone. "We'll discuss rewards and privileges." Steve said, with a small smile. "But now, inside. You too, Wanda!" At the direct order, Pietro flashed off, but stopped near the entrance of the tower to grab his butt and mouth "Ouch" at Peter. Peter winced, the others turned to look, but Pietro was long gone. Wanda went inside as well.

"You do realize that Clint could have taken that drone down with a single arrow?" Tony turned to Peter, his voice level.

"But , I did - " Peter was cut off by Clint.

"Actually, I had an arrow nocked and ready, an instant before you jumped onto it."

"Clint, I -"

"You fell from a height of 10,000 feet!" This was from Steve, his voice cold.

"I knew someone would catch me!"

"What if I had been attacked? You realize it took mere seconds for you to fall?" Tony asked.

"But all of you have done this stuff - you went into a portal, you crashed into the ocean -"

"None of us have taken risks when there was backup." Natasha spoke up for the first time. "It was completely unnecessary, and stupid." Peter winced again.

"There's nothing more to be said, Peter. Go to your room." Tony said. His voice was harder than Peter had ever heard. With a sinking heart, Peter walked to his room.

Tony knocked on Peter's door. "Come in" came Peter's voice.

The boy was sitting on the bed with his knees pulled up to his chin. Tony went and sat down next to him.

"You know what's going to happen, Peter. Is there anything you want to say?" Tony asked gently.

Peter shook his head. He wished this was a bad dream.

"All right, get up then." Peter obeyed. His legs seemed to have turned to jelly.

"Unbutton your pants" came the next order. With shaking hands, Peter complied.

Tony held his arm and gently pulled him down to lie across his lap. He positioned Peter over his lap, still being gentle.

The boy was stiff and Tony could feel his nervousness. "Right. Peter. You're going to get spanked, and it's going to hurt. But then this will be over, all right?" Peter managed a nod.

"No need to be embarrassed, now" Tony said, and put this hand into the waistband of Peter's jeans.

Peter flushed with shame. Couldn't he have a heart attack, right now? Why did he ever get bitten by that spider? He clenched his fists and pushed his face into the bed.

Tony pulled his pants and underwear down to mid-thigh. As cool air hit his bottom, Peter gave a short sob.

"Hush" Tony said, folding Peter's shirt out of the way. Peter hid his head in his arms. Tony looked at the pale bare bottom on his lap. He steeled himself, thinking of the way Peter had fallen from the sky - this was for Peter's good, and it was necessary. He raised his hand and brought it down sharply.

Peter heard Tony's palm come down, and screwed up his face, prepared for pain. But when the sting came, it was much less than what he had imagined. He waited helplessly for the spanking to start.

Tony spanked Peter's cheeks, alternating. He had read a lot about spanking the previous day, but it didn't make it easier. He felt sorry for the boy as the sting built up in his hand.

Peter was hardly feeling pain. Of course - he realized, it was Tony Stark spanking him, an ordinary human being. And the spider bite had made him incredibly strong. But should he say something? Or pretend he was hurt? If he pretended to feel pain now, and was found out later?

Awkwardly raising his head, Peter said " ?"

Tony stopped with his hand raised. "Peter?"

"It's not hurting." Peter blurted out, then put his head down again. That was stupid.

"Wha -" Tony looked down. The pale bottom was barely pink, while his hand was turning red. Well, the kid was a superhero, and one of the strongest. And he was honest enough to say a spanking wasn't hurting. Tony smiled to himself. He was proud of his young protege, even if he was a handful!

He tentatively put a hand on Peter's back. Physical affection was still not intuitive for him. "Right, Peter, let's see what we can do about that." Peter winced. What was he going to do now?

Tony tapped his watch, and pulled a gauntlet over his hand. He patted Peter's bottom with it.

Peter tensed at the touch of metal on his skin. What did have in his hand? He raised his head and looked back, and saw the red and gold gauntlet. He gulped

"Peter, head down" Tony ordered, and Peter hid his head in his hands again. How stupid could he be? Now that was going to hurt!

Tony poised his hand above Peter's bottom. Taking aim, he spanked the center of Peter's left cheek. This time too, Peter heard the spank first, but then his bottom exploded in pain. "Aaaaaaaaaaah!" Peter yelled out. "Owwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"

To his horror, Tony saw Peter's left cheek turn deep red, a dark bruise forming a few seconds later as the boy twisted and flailed. Tony pulled back the gauntlet and rubbed Peter's bottom. "All right, all right, now." he repeated, and pulled the boy up into his arms.

"Hush, I'm sorry Peter, hush" he repeated, awkwardly patting Peter.

A few minutes later, Bruce and Steve had rushed to Peter's room. Peter lay on the bed on his stomach. Steve sat near his head while Bruce examined the wound "It's a muscle contusion, Peter, and the skin is mildly burned. With your healing powers you should be fine soon." Bruce said. He handed Peter a painkiller. Peter took the pill, but when he moved to sip water it hurt again. Peter whimpered, pushing his face deep into his pillow. Tony put a wet cloth over Peter's bottom and sat down next to him.

He rubbed Peter's back in circles while the boy calmed down. He looked at Steve, who had his lips pursed, running his fingers through Peter's hair. "I'm sorry Cap, Mr. Stark." Peter said. "Shhh, now. Peter. Your punishment is over. None of that talk now." Tony said as Steve muttered agreement. The two superheroes were at a loss. They were sure about one thing - Peter was not getting spanked by Tony again. The other thing they were sure of - Peter would get into trouble as soon as his bottom healed.


	3. Chapter 3

Peter recovered within a day, but was quiet and morose. Steve tried to coax him out of it, but nothing seemed to work. Tony was locked in his workshop for days, not even answering Pepper's calls.

Steve, Clint and Natasha were in the kitchen getting lunch ready when Jarvis' voice rang out. "Would you go to the large training room please? Peter and Pietro need your help."

They looked at each other with an unspoken "Now what?" and rushed to the training room. When they burst in, they saw webbing everywhere - on the walls, the ceiling, and on every piece of equipment. Peter and Pietro were both tangled in it, in two corners. They were struggling, and the webbing shook along with them, rattling the equipment it was stuck to. Steve looked at Pietro who managed a grin and a shrug, then at Peter, who turned pale.

Steve took a deep breath. "What were you trying to do?"

"Well, we thought - If Pietro took the web and ran..." Peter started.

"But then I stopped, and the web twitched back -" Pietro intervened.

"And he flew back and hit the wall" Peter said.

"Almost hit the wall." Pietro corrected.

"And I tried to catch him - " Steve raised a hand, his lip quirking a bit. He could hear Clint and Natasha cracking up behind him. "What's going on?" came Tony's voice from behind them.

"Your little spider has managed to catch a fly!" Clint said. "How do we get them out, Tony?" There was no point in asking Tony what he'd been doing in his workshop or why.

"With the clippers." Tony picked up a couple of nasty looking things that looked like gardening shears.

Natasha took one from him and started working her way towards Pietro, while Tony clipped away at Peter.

"What were you thinking? What if one of you had been strangled?" Steve asked.

"No, Cap - I thought of that, that's why we wore these.." Peter craned his neck through the webbing. He was wearing a helmet and a collar that looked like a part of an Iron Man suit. Steve saw that Pietro was wearing protective gear as well.

"Nat, Tony, you need any help?" Clint asked. When they answered "No" in unison, Steve nodded to Clint. "Come down for lunch when you're done here." he said, walking out of the room.

When the two teens came in for lunch, they ate quietly. "Cat got your tongue?" Clint asked Pietro as he ladled vegetables onto his plate. "What, you're not complaining about the veggies? You alright?"

Peter on the other hand, twitched when Steve asked him to pass the salt.

"Right, boys, what's wrong?" Steve asked. The boys didn't answer.

"Oh for - do you think you're in trouble?" Clint asked, and this time, Pietro looked up. "We're not?"

"You tried something new with the necessary precautions and called us when you ran into trouble. We've all had some troubles when we tried things the first time." Clint clapped Pietro on the back. Pietro nudged Peter stage-whispering "We don't get to moon them now." Wanda giggled, earning a glare from Steve, and Clint and Natasha smirked. But Peter still looked thoughtful.

"Good work thinking of using each other's strengths." Steve said as he hugged Pietro afterwards. When he hugged Peter, the boy didn't hug him back. Steve didn't let go completely, but steered Peter towards one of the libraries.

Steve sat Peter down and asked "From _th_ _at_ day you have not been yourself Peter. You're quiet, and when today i saw you in that web you turned pale. Are you afraid of me, or Tony? Of any of us?"

"No, not really.."

"Well, then? Tell me what's wrong?" Steve's voice was gentle.

"Cap, I don't want to -" Peter said, looking firmly at the floor.

"Oh, more teen hugging?" Tony asked from the doorway.

"Actually, we were talking." Steve said. "And maybe it's time you did some hugging!"

Tony and Peter both flushed, and Steve chuckled. "Tony, legal guardianship aside, you brought Peter here, and he looks up to you the most. If things are not OK between you two, it's not good for any of us. Fix it!" he walked out, leaving behind a confused Peter and Tony.

"Well, Peter, I'm sorry." Tony walked in, picked up a book and started turning the pages.

"I know, it was an accident." Peter answered in a flat voice.

"I'm trying to fix it. It won't happen again" Tony said, still flipping through the book.

"Fix it?" Peter looked at him properly for the first time. Tony turned towards him as well.

"Well yeah! Your strength, pain tolerance, and the gauntlet's weight and speed - If I balance everything I can get the forces right - to discipline you properly. I'm trying to get one of the suits to do it. And you," Tony pointed with the book - "won't be embarrassed at all!."

Peter flushed with anger and ran past Tony. He ran straight to his bedroom. There were angry tears in his eyes, which he dashed off, only for fresh tears to start off.

Cap hugged like it was a chore - with that stupid "12 hugs to grow" formula, didn't want to touch him, Pietro and Wanda spoke a different language most of the time, Clint was busy with Pietro, Natasha was busy with Wanda, Bruce had been good to him till he had spoilt it with that prank...and he couldn't bear to go back home. Not to face Aunt May. Not after what he had done. He was a monster.

He sat, alternating between anger and misery till dinner time, when Jarvis' voice broke into his thoughts, announcing dinner.

"Tell them I don't want to eat!" Peter snapped.

"Peter, Captain Rogers says that you have to come down" Jarvis said a minute later.

"Tell that perfect museum piece to shut up!" Peter yelled at the AI.

"Peter, that was extremely rude" Jarvis answered, a slight rebuke in his voice.

"Leave me alone, you overgrown music box!" Peter yelled, and then there was silence. Still seething, Peter paced up and down, till a wave of misery hit him again.

About an hour later, there was a knock on his bedroom door. Peter opened it to see Steve, holding a cloche.

"You might be angry and hurting, but you do need to eat." Steve put the cloche down on a table.

"I told you. I don't want to!" Peter's voice was high.

"You're too old for tantrums, Peter." Steve said, disapproval clear on his face.

"You're too old to be alive!" Peter shot back.

Steve leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

"Right. What happened?" He asked, in a level voice.

"Nothing happened!" Peter's voice was almost a scream now.

"You were quiet when I left you with Tony. You're angry now, not to say irrational. Something happened, obviously, and I want to know what." The quiet authority in his voice was disconcerting, but Peter was not ready to give in.

"It's none of your business. You're not my dad." he fumed at Steve.

"I'm the leader of the Avengers. Your commanding officer, in a way." Steve said with a raised eyebrow.

"Who made you the leader anyway? What do you have that I don't?" Peter yelled, coming to stand right in front of Steve.

"Well, someone is saying pretty nasty things to me, and I haven't lost my temper" Steve said, standing up to his full height, towering over Peter.

That hit home, and Peter looked away in shame. How could he talk to a national hero like that? Stupid, he was stupid.

Steve raised up his chin with a finger, forcing Peter to meet his eyes. "Alright, what did you and Tony talk about?"

"About he balancing things - programming a suit." Peter said, now in a small voice. Steve was relieved that the tantrum was over, but he needed to know what was wrong.

"For..?" Steve prompted.

"To - to- discipline me." Peter said, his voice shaky.

"Oh for God's sake that man!" Steve rolled his eyes. Was Tony really that clueless? No wonder the boy had been upset. Steve put his hands on Peter's shoulders.

"Right, Peter. That was a really insensitive thing to say. I'm going to talk to Tony, and explain why exactly it was wrong. All right?"

Peter nodded.

"By the time I come back, I want you to have finished dinner, sent that cloche back to the kitchen, and in your pajamas, ready for bed" Steve said.

Peter did not have a set bedtime, only a curfew. What was Cap talking about now?

He looked up, and Steve's face was set in hard lines.

"You don't insult anybody just because you are angry, young man. And especially not someone who leads you in battle." he said, looking straight into Peter's eyes.

"I'm sorry" Peter blurted out

"Yes you are. But you do need to be disciplined. I think the serum made me strong enough." Steve did not raise his voice. He didn't need to. Peter felt a chill run down his spine.

"Finish your dinner and get into your pajamas. I don't want any insubordination now, do you understand?" Steve's hands were still on Peter's shoulders and he could feel the boy tense. But Peter nodded.

Steve nodded back, turned on his heel and walked away. Peter opened the cloche to find steaming hot food. He picked up the fork with a shaky hand.


	4. Chapter 4

Steve marched to Tony's workshop, only to be met by a locked door.

"Jarvis, open the door." Steve called out.

"Captain, has given me orders not to open the door unless it's an emergency."

"Well, this is an emergency" Steve said. It was irritating to talk to a disembodied voice.

"Shall I ring the emergency bell, sir?" Jarvis asked him in polite tones. The emergency bell was meant to assemble the Avengers in full gear. and order the staff into safe rooms. There was no way Steve would raise the alarm and Tony and Jarvis both knew it. Steve walked off. It was better he dealt with Peter now.

He knocked lightly on Peter's door. "Yeah" came the answer.

Steve entered the room and locked the door behind him. Peter was lying on his stomach wearing pajamas, and the cloche was gone. Steve smiled gently at Peter.

Peter got up from the bed. "Are you mad at me?" he asked, not looking Steve in the eye.

"No, I'm not." Steve ran a hand over the boy's hair. "Do you have anything to say?"

"I'm sorry?" Peter said, still with eyes lowered.

"I know you are, child. Shall we get this over with, now?" Steve asked. It was hard to watch Peter in agony.

Peter nodded.

Steve sat down on the bed, gently guiding Peter to his right.

"Undo your pajamas, Peter."

Peter flushed a bright red. He wasn't wearing underwear. "Um - they're elastic" he managed to say.

"Very well then," Steve patted his lap. With a gulp, Peter leaned over, and was guided across Steve's lap. He felt a sense of deja vu as he was positioned. Cap's lap was much bigger than 's though, and it made him feel like a child.

"Here, rest your head on this" Steve handed him a pillow, and Peter immediately hid his face in it. And then, he felt a hand soothingly rub his back, just as another one went inside his waistband. Peter held his breath as his pajamas were pulled down, but then heard Steve's voice "I'm not able to fully bare your bottom. Raise your hips a little, Peter" His face blazing hot, Peter raised up his hips, and Steve worked his pajamas down to his thighs. Then his pajama jacket went up his back, leaving his bottom completely bare. Steve adjusted him a little, and Peter felt his bottom move up, ready for a spanking.

Peter felt a wave of panic. Captain America was looking at his bare butt. Captain America was going to spank him! His thoughts were broken by a pat - of Captain America's hand on his bare bottom! Ohhh! Peter struggled to burrow deeper into his pillow.

"Now, Peter, I'm going to start gently and work my way up till it starts stinging. OK?" Peter nodded into his pillow.

Steve raised his hand, and spanked Peter's bottom. He had meant to spank his right cheek, but the boy's bottom was tiny and his hand easily covered more than one cheek. There was no reaction from Peter, and his skin barely flushed. He spanked again, slightly away from where the first spank landed, and again there was no response.

Peter laid still at the first gentle spanks, but noticed that every spank was harder. After ten spanks, when Steve put quite a bit of strength into a spank, Peter felt the sting. He wiggled, and Steve saw the skin turn pink. Steve was impressed. The boy was tiny and light, but was strong! He continued spanking silently at the same intensity.

"Now, Peter, tell me why we're here." Steve asked, with a pat to Peter's slightly pink bottom.

"Huh, because -" Peter stammered.

"Let me help." Steve landed a searing spank on each cheek. "Now, tell me, Peter.. Why are you here over my lap with your bottom bared?"

What sort of question was that? Peter flinched! "To be spanked?"

"And why are you going to be spanked on your bare bottom till you cannot sit down?" Steve landed two more spanks. Peter wiggled just after each spank, making Steve bite back a laugh.

"Ah! Because I was rude!" Peter answered. Why couldn't Cap shut up?

This was going to take a while, Steve realized, and started spanking with a steady rhythm. He knew how fast Peter would heal from the spanking. The only way to make an impact was to spank him as long as possible.

Peter winced as his bottom was smacked over and over. It had been a while since anything had hurt him! Damn that super soldier serum.

"And why were you rude, young man?" Steve went on, not pausing in his assault.

"I was angry. I'm sorry!" Peter tried to wiggle away, but was pinned firmly in place. His bottom was getting hotter by the second, he couldn't think!

"Don't move, Peter. If you misbehave, your bottom will pay for it, and I'm going to keep spanking till you learn your lesson. Take the punishment now, like a good boy."

The childish language hurt almost as much as the spanking, and Peter tried to be still. It's just a spanking, he told himself, just as Steve gave him a rapid dozen all over his bottom.

"Ouuch!"

"Now, Peter, tell me why you were angry?" Steve tilted Peter slightly away from him to spank the side of his left cheek, which was still untouched. He landed three hard spanks on the same spot.

"Ow, ow!" Peter complained "Mr. Stark - he - I don't want to be spanked by a robot, ow!"

Steve set Peter back into position and resumed spanking. "So you decided not to talk to any of us. Instead you came here. Why was that, child?" He turned Peter towards him to give the right cheek the same treatment. He had been spanking for around a quarter of an hour now, and Peter's bottom was turning red.

Peter started to sniffle. The memory, the endearment, and the spanking were too much.

"Mr. Stark doesn't like me." Peter whimpered.

Steve kept up the spanking. Peter's bottom was turning red hot, and finally the boy was opening up.

"He doesn't want to touch me." Peter went on.

Ah, that was the issue. Steve realized with a smile. "Now, that's not true," he said. He reduced the intensity of the spanks, though he kept up the rhythm. "Tony isn't one to show affection, child. That doesn't mean he doesn't want to touch you." he said, in a gentle voice.

"Natasha doesn't show affection, but she's with Wanda all the time, and Clint's with Pietro..." Peter went on.

"And you spend time with me, Bruce and Tony." Steve said, landing a few spanks to the places which were starting to lighten up as Peter's healing powers took over.

"Ouch, ow - But you hug me because of" Peter stopped. Any more and he would be in worse trouble. Though things were unlikely to get worse, he thought as Steve spanked the same spot on his left cheek thrice.

Steve spanked Peter thrice on his right cheek, before asking "because of what?"

Peter kicked his legs as Steve moved to a fresh spot. "Because you have to, Ah, because doesn't like to, owwww, and Dr. Banner is mad, aaah, 'cause I messed with his work, ow, ow!"

"I don't hug you because i have to" Steve said, rubbing Peter's back gently with one hand as he spanked with the other. "And Bruce has already forgiven you for that prank. He's actually missing you, because you're such a help in his lab, he told me yesterday."

That was a surprise. Peter's head popped up and he looked back. " said that?" Steve pushed him back into the pillow. "We're not done here. And yes, Dr. Banner said you're a clever lad, and a huge help. And Tony loves when you're tinkering around in his lab. And I love it when we're sparring. And on the field. You're a good boy, Peter Parker." Steve gently rubbed Peter's bottom as it healed to a light pink. Time for another round. He shook out his hand - it was sore.

"I'm not good." Peter said into his pillow as Steve adjusted Peter on his lap again.

"You are good, child. You're just feeling guilty." And by the time I'm done with your bottom, your guilt will be gone." Steve raised his hand to resume spanking.

"You can't spank away all the bad things I've done." Peter's voice shook as he remembered _that_ day. Could ripping his pants down and heating up his butt solve that? Steve lowered his hand in concern. That voice made him uneasy. What was Peter feeling guilty about?

"Why not, Peter?" Steve asked, keeping his voice light. "What did you do, pet? Rob a bank? Kill someone?"

Peter's response was a sob. "When I first got my powers a security guard told me -" his voice cracked "- to catch a burglar -" Peter said in a hitching voice "..And I - I refused!"

Steve paused. The boy was upset, and he was practically asking to be spanked for something that happened months ago." All right Peter, Since that's bothering you so much I'm going to spank you for that too. For that, and for playing pranks and for throwing a tantrum."

Peter nodded into his pillow, and actually pushed his bottom up.

Surprised and very much concerned, Steve started spanking Peter again.

"Ow!" Peter reacted to the renewed onslaught. .

Steve started spanking, harder than he had before. Peter gave a couple of "oh"s at first, then began crying softly. As Steve adjusted him to spank his sit spots, Peter buried his face in his pillow but didn't move at all. Steve spanked his sit spots several times, and when Peter still didn't react, spanked Peter's cheeks again thoroughly, then gave three hard spanks to each sit spot. Finally, with his bottom a deep red, Peter broke down in loud sobbing.

It was very harsh, Steve thought, but Peter was a superhero. A superhero who was now brokenly crying on his lap.

He pulled Peter's pajamas back up and lowered his jacket. The child didn't even notice that the spanking was over. Steve picked up Peter - the boy was so light - and settled him on his lap. He held him tight, pressing Peter's head to his shoulder. The sobs didn't subside, and the room with the windows closed felt suffocating.

Steve remembered a large rocking chair in front of a large window in the same floor. He picked up Peter easily, settled him in his arms, and commanded Jarvis to shut down access to the floor. Peter wrapped his legs around Steve's waist.

As he reached the window, Jarvis opened it up without a command. Steve sat down in the chair, cradling Peter. The boy's sobs quieted a little as he rocked, and rubbed his back. Peter shuddered.

"Captain, there are blankets inside that footstool to your right." came Jarvis' voice.

Steve snorted. Tony was probably the only person who could design an AI which was more empathetic than its creator. Though Tony was probably the only person who could design such a complex AI. Stupid jerk.

He took the blanket and wrapped it over Peter, who relaxed slightly.

"Peter, open your eyes and look at me, child." Steve said in a quiet voice. "Cap, I'll be good!" Peter said.

"Hush, now. No more spanking. Look at me, pet." Steve coaxed.

The boy opened his eyes and blinked up at Steve. His eyes were red-rimmed, and his face was flushed. Steve kissed his forehead.

"Peter, tell me what is so bad about letting that burglar go? Come on, now.." Steve asked, stroking Peter's back again as tears sprang to the child's eyes.

"He - the burglar - he - he - he..."

Steve kept rubbing Peter's back. "He did what, pet?"

"He killed Uncle Ben." Peter burst out, and broke into fresh sobs which wracked his whole body. Steve had known about Peter's uncle, of course. The amount of guilt the poor little boy had been carrying around, with no one to tell..Steve held him tight, letting him cry it out.

"It's not your fault, Peter" Steve said, as the boy sobbed. "We've all lost people who we could have saved. I, Tony, Natasha, all of us."

Peter stopped sobbing and looked up at Steve. He still breathed with hitching little sobs.

Steve ran a hand through Peter's hair. "Once, in Nazi Germany - I and the howling commandos stormed this Hydra outpost. It was right in the middle of a village. We evacuated the villagers before we stormed the outpost, and well - we got everyone. Then we put up charges to blow the whole thing up." Steve paused. The story was difficult to tell, but the image was seared into his mind. "What we didn't know, was that there were hostages on the topmost floor, hidden in an attic. One of them managed to reach the window and scream to us, but before we could do anything the whole thing blew up!"

Peter listened as Steve went on. "They found four bodies the next day," he said, still stroking Peter's back and hair. "I couldn't help thinking - if we hadn't stormed that outpost, maybe they would have survived the war." Steve's eyes had tears in them. "I couldn't sleep for weeks after that, Peter."

As he listened to Steve, warm in a blanket and inside strong arms, Peter finally started to relax. For the first time after Uncle Ben died, he felt at peace. He nestled deeper into Steve's chest. Steve started rocking the chair again.

"Settle down, little Spider!" Steve said, cuddling Peter close. All the stress of the day finally caught up to Peter and his eyes closed. Steve rocked as the boy became heavier and heavier, then once he slept, carried him back to his room.

Peter stirred as Steve settled him in bed, but didn't awaken fully as he was tucked in.

"Tell me if he wakes up, Jarvis." Steve said as he went back to his room. He was exhausted as well. He had shared his second most painful memory with someone. Tony would have to wait till morning.


	5. Chapter 5

Steve was up the next morning at six, though none of the Avengers were to be seen. He went for a run, and was finishing his breakfast when there was a crackle from Jarvis - the electronic equivalent of a butler clearing his throat.

"Captain? has unlocked his workshop." Jarvis said. Steve got up from the table, and went up the elevator, taking a deep breath. This was going to be difficult.

"Tony?" he called, stepping into the workshop.

Tony sat in the middle of a number of blue holograms, waving his hands around to manipulate them. He probably had not slept the previous night, or the night before, if Steve had to guess.

"Hey Steve! Finished your morning run and morning hugs?"

Steve gritted his teeth. They had three orphaned, disturbed teenagers in the tower, all of them carrying emotional baggage, and Tony had to tease him about hugs. "Well, it helps them, and your ward is the one who loves hugs the most." Steve said.

Tony just smirked, and went back to the schematic. Steve took a deep breath, yet again.

"What did you tell Peter, Tony?" he asked.

"About what?" Tony pulled a hologram up, turned it around, and put it into another hologram. "Render that, will you Jarvis?" he called.

"About your new _invention!"_ Steve said.

"It's coming along nicely. See, the new arc reactor is much more compact. Peter wanted to make the heat shield bigger, and it worked, and -"

Steve stepped right through the hologram to face Tony. "Tony, did you tell Peter you're working on an invention to discipline him?"

"Oh that? Yeah, I have a few ideas. See, I check his pain tolerance and healing factor, and -"

"Were you going to have your suit spank him?" Steve crossed his arms, and looked down at Tony.

"Well, yeah. Last time he was really embarrassed!" Tony was nonplussed, as if he was trying to look through Steve at the hologram.

Steve was at the end of his rope. Was Tony really that clueless, or was he just pretending? "Are you mad, Tony Stark? That poor boy was heartbroken!"

His raised voice finally made Tony look up. "What? Why?"

"Because he thinks you don't like to touch him."

"Steve, I don't like to touch anybody." Tony shrugged, but not in a careless way. "I thought if the punishment wasn't overdone, and if nobody had to see him get it, it would be OK.." Tony was looking straight at Steve now, the holograms forgotten.

"Tony..." Steve started. "How would you have felt if your dad handed you over to a robot to discipline?"

Tony looked at Steve, and gave a flat laugh.

"Oh no, he didn't. Howard didn't -"

Tony picked up a few yellowed sheets from a table. They were sketches for a machine, and the function was obvious. "I was using it for a basic design. Dad's prototype, it didn't work properly. Never went past the dummy testing stage."

"So..When you needed...?"

"Jarvis did it - our butler" Tony said, in an emotionless voice. "He bandaged my boo-boos and took me to the circus too."

Howard, you idiot. Thought Steve. Howard had been irresponsible about everything but work, but neglecting a son to the point of abuse? What was so important? Steve realized he had said the last question out loud only after he said it.

"Oh I don't know - SHIELD? Arming the Government?" Tony said, spreading his arms wide. "Searching for you?" he pointed at Steve. Tony was getting tired of the conversation. Here it comes, Tony thought. The sympathy. The "Oh you poor little rich boy" stuff. The only thing sympathy was useful for was leverage.

"Anyway, I don't think it matters that much for children to be cuddled and petted. I wasn't really touched by my parents, and I turned out fine!" Tony finished, pulling up another schematic.

There was denial all Tony's face. Steve's first instinct was to grab the man in a hug - If things had been normal, he would have been there for Tony, after all. That wouldn't work, not now.

"Right, Howard was an idiot. A megalomaniac, a genius and an idiot. Can't you put yourself in Peter's shoes?" Steve asked.

"Hmm, yeah" The glimpse of emotion was gone from Tony, and he was back to his schematic.

"You're still not getting it, are you? That boy was already reeling under guilt, and you pushed him away." Steve said. "He's been feeling guilty and frustrated from the time he came here, and all of us missed it."

"Guilty about what?" Tony looked up again, and seeing Steve's face, closed off the schematics.

"Tony, he thinks he's responsible for his Uncle Ben's murder. The poor boy's been struggling with guilt ever since, and he's never been able to talk to anyone. Yesterday he finally blurted out the whole story to me. I calmed him down, but I don't think that's enough." Steve told him, and Tony swore under his breath.

"His Uncle? The man who brought him up?" Steve nodded.

"What are we supposed to do? You realize all of us are messed up?" Steve nodded. He was surprised. Coming from Tony, an admission of being "messed up" was a breakthrough. But the next instant, the seriousness had gone from Tony's face, and a wild look came into his eyes.

"Right, I'll - I'll do something! Something that will cheer him up." he said. "Jarvis, pull up the-"

Steve interrupted him "Cheer him up with what?"

"Something like - like actually hacking into Bruce's programs and not just his files? I'll be with Peter when he hacks in, make sure that no data's lost, and we'll put it right before Bruce notices." Tony's face had lost the drawn look, and his eyes sparkled.

"Is that what you do to not face facts, Tony? Start designing something new? Block off everything?" Steve practically shouted.

"Oh, shut it Steve! I was fine for years while you were doing your Frosty the Snowman act!" Tony shouted back.

"Oh for -" Steve grabbed Tony's arm and pulled him forward, and in a second, Tony was over Steve's lap, immobile, and a hand clamped over his mouth. Tony struggled to use his motion controlled suits, to call for Jarvis - Why wasn't Jarvis responding?

"If you don't start acting like that boy's guardian, Tony, I'm going to spank you. And I mean it. Act your age!" Steve said, letting Tony up.

"Jarvis!" Tony shouted.

"Yes, sir?" Jarvis asked with exaggerated politeness. Steve looked up.

"Why didn't you intervene? I was being held against my will, with an intention of physical assault!" Steve rolled his eyes.

"It did Peter a lot of good, Sir. I thought you would also benefit from it."

"Steve clamped a hand over his mouth to stop his laughter, and Tony started at Jarvis with "I'm going to put your code into -"

He had to stop as a loud, adolescent laugh came in through the speakers. It continued for almost a minute till Jarvis stopped it, with a polite "I'm sorry sir. I suppose I accidentally transmitted some sounds from the floor below."

"The floor below? Right below us?" Tony asked, just as Steve said "Jarvis, get Peter up here, right now!"

The elevator opened and Peter stepped out, looking miserable. He hoped he was not in trouble again. The previous night had been a roller coaster!

"Come here young man!" Steve said as Tony glared daggers at him.

Peter came, dragging his feet.

"Why were you eavesdropping?" Tony asked

"I just thought, Mr. Stark, Cap - I heard my name, and -"

"How much did you hear? When did you start listening?" Steve asked. "Look up when I'm talking to you, Peter."

"When you said I like hugs." Peter answered, blushing a little.

"You stood there and listened to the whole conversation?" Tony asked, crossing his arms. That's all he needed. A kid who knew about his wonderful relationship with his dad.

"No, . I was walking on the ceiling. And you were talking about me."

"You were not meant to overhear that, Peter, and you know it. I never, ever want you using those spider senses to eavesdrop on private conversations. Is that understood?" Steve asked. "I would spank you right now, if not for the fact that you were very severely disciplined not ten hours back." He hoped Peter would apologize right away. He was not ready for more scolding or spanking, whether Peter had recovered or not.

"Yes, Cap. I'm sorry." Peter said, to Steve's relief.

"Right, then. You know what comes next. Come here!" Steve opened his arms.

Peter happily sank into the hug. Steve gave him a squeeze. Peter felt the warm fuzziness of the previous night returning, and hugged back. After a long moment, Steve released Peter, asking "Do you still think I hug you because I have to?"

"No, Cap" Peter said quickly.

"Right. Go on, back to wherever you're supposed to be." Tony said, and Peter leaped out the workshop window. Before Steve and Tony could reach the window, he had walked across the outside wall to another window two floors below.

"Peter, your identity!" Steve yelled.

"I'm hidden by that awning, Cap" Peter yelled back. Steve saw that he was right, and chuckled. That boy was a handful, but he still needed help.

"Cap, how quickly can you get Thor here? And Sam?" Tony's voice, sudden and excited cut into his thoughts. The man was practically a teenager.

"Why, what is it now?" Steve asked.

"I have an actual idea." Tony said.


	6. Chapter 6

"Approach the person with open arms, and-" Tony read out loud from his Starkphone. "Maybe I should do it in the suit first" he said. He had looked up "How to give a hug,"and was not liking it.

"You are overthinking it, Sir" said Jarvis.

"Well, the last time I touched the kid he was in agony. That was -" Tony broke off as the large TV in the room came to life.

"Sir, I have no control!" Jarvis said. Tony's adrenaline soared as he saw Natasha, tied up and gagged, her face red.

The camera zoomed out to show a card on which was written "Ventral side of Latrodectus hesperus in artificial habitat." and zoomed out even further to show a grinning Peter holding it up.

Tony threw his head back and laughed. The boy was a wonder. Getting past Natasha and Jarvis before lunch! He was still laughing when Jarvis patched Steve through.

"Clint, get the clippers and cut Natasha out. Peter, get out of there before she's out. I cannot vouch for your safety" Steve said, his voice shaky. There was a muffled laugh before he hung up.

"Guys, this is to announce that is currently locked in his lab, because he feels extremely stressed." Clint's voice came over the speakers minutes later. "This is a consequence of him complimenting Peter Parker on scientific terminology within earshot of Agent Natasha Romanoff"

Tony laughed again. This was good. He thought of what he had planned later that day. There wouldn't be any laughter then.

Peter pushed his head into the leather of the couch. Again. He could not believe it. Cap was pulling down his undies to spank him. Again.

Steve could not believe it as he bared Peter's bottom. Not even a week had passed since Peter had received a harsh spanking! He raised his hand and took aim.

Smack! Right in the middle of his bottom. Peter wiggled. God that stung!

"Why are you getting spanked, Peter?" Steve asked, thinking "How many times am I going to ask this question?"

"Because I beat Natasha." Peter said, and bit his lip. Right. Way to go. He clenched his fist as the spanks rained down on his bare bottom. "Ow!"

Steve rolled his eyes as he finished a rapid staccato. Teenagers! "Try again!" he said.

"Because I used my web shooter to take down Natasha while training. OW! I'm Sorry Cap! OW!"

"Yes. And why was that wrong?" Steve was spanking Peter steadily now.

"It was hand to hand training" Peter said. Right answer, but when he had his butt out for punishment, all answers had the same response. He closed his eyes, ready for it.

Steve raised his hand a little higher for the next few spanks, and Peter kicked. "And you shouldn't have done it, because?"

"Ah! Because I might run out of -" Peter broke off as his right cheek was spanked three times. The same spot! "Ouch!"

"Not following your trainer's orders is wrong! That's for insubordination." Steve said, and gave Peter's left cheek three hard spanks. "And that's for laughing at your trainer."

Peter squirmed at the assault. Did Cap think his bottom was made of Vibranium? He was never going to sit comfortably again!

Steve looked at Peter. If he kept this up Peter would start crying, which he did not want. He eased up a little. "Do you understand why exactly you're getting spanked, pet?" He asked, in a gentle voice. It would not do for Peter to think he was being punished just for breaking an arbitrary rule.

"For insubordination? For making fun of Natasha? For hacking into Jarvis?" Peter asked, raising his head.

"I wouldn't spank you for attacking or making fun of Natasha. I would have stepped back and let her handle it." Peter shuddered, and Steve chuckled and rubbed his back. "And Jarvis? Tony was impressed, not angry."

Peter rested his head on his hands, listening to Cap through the steady, stinging spanks.

"When you're being trained, you need to focus on what you're being taught, not what you're already good at. And you never sneak up on your teammates, except if you've already made it clear that you're testing their reflexes." Steve rubbed Peter's back as he said "We're a team, child, we need to trust each other."

"I'm sorry, Cap" Peter said. That did make sense. Didn't justify the spanking, though. Nothing did. He squirmed again.

Steve stopped spanking and Peter felt him move. He chanted "Not there, not there" under his breath as Steve put his right foot on a little stool near the couch. Peter felt his sit spot moving up. Of course Cap was going to spank him there! Peter gritted his teeth for what was to come. Steve patted Peter's sit spots, then put quite a bit of strength into the first spank. "Ahh!" Peter yelled.

Steve spanked Peter's sit spots in a leisurely manner, taking a few seconds between bringing his hand down hard. Peter yelped at every spank. Finally, after a full dozen, when Peter felt his bottom had been stung by a hundred wasps, Steve stopped and lowered his leg.

Peter was not sobbing or crying, but there were tears in his eyes, and he grabbed a tissue from a table in front of him. Steve rubbed his back. "Relax, budding zoologist" he said. His hand was sore, but for Peter's strength, it had not been a severe spanking. He gently rubbed Peter's bottom. It was hot and red, and Peter gave a little whine. Right, Steve thought, time to cuddle his spiderling. He righted Peter's clothes and lifted him up. Peter curled up on Steve's lap, his head on Steve's chest.

"Are you mad at me?" Peter asked.

How many times was he going to answer that question? "No I'm not." Steve rubbed his back, Peter responding with a "Mmmm!"

"Are you a spider or a cat?" Steve asked, still rubbing circles.

"I'm a Cat faced spider. Araneus gemmoides" Peter said into Steve's chest, "That's why I land on my feet. Miaow!"

Steve boy wasn't in distress, hadn't cried. Steve had disciplined him firmly but not harshly, as he had set out to.

"Is Natasha still mad at me?" Peter asked, raising his head to look at Steve.

"I'm sure she's not." Steve ran a hand over Peter's head. He held back a chuckle, thinking of how Peter had hid behind him yelling "Natasha, Cap's going to spank me! He'll show no mercy, would you, Cap?"

"Cap?" Peter said after a minute.

"Hmm?"

"Why is this couch here? It was a library right? This room?" Peter looked up, and saw the chest of drawers. "Why are the drawers labelled Pietro and Peter?" He asked uneasily.

"Well, you and Pietro get into so much trouble we thought it would be good to have a room near the main lounge with the essentials."

"A couch, a footstool, hooks to hang my jacket? Tissues?" Peter reached over and pulled open the drawer labelled Pietro. There was a hairbrush, a ruler, an arrow shaft.

"You've made a spanking room!" Peter cried. "That's cruel, Cap! It's inhuman! As if we keep getting spanked!"

Steve laughed, kissing Peter's head. "It's not cruel, it's just practical, pet. You two do keep getting spanked!" Pietro got spanked frequently, and Peter had managed to get into trouble thrice in ten days of Tony finally deciding to spank him. Steve wondered why Wanda didn't. Was she so well-behaved, or was Natasha just too scary for the girl to cross?

"I bet it was 's idea!" Peter huffed, and rested his head on Steve's shoulder again.

"No, it was Clint's." Steve said, cuddling the boy again. Tony and his ideas. What was that idea of Tony's anyway? Thor, Sam and Rhodey had been summoned for a meeting, and all the Avengers in the tower had been told to be in the lounge that afternoon.

Peter walked into the lounge the teens used. Pietro was there, watching a movie. He flopped down on the couch, on his stomach.

"You - Cap didn't?" Pietro asked.

"What do you think?" Peter huffed, pulling a cushion to hold

"I thought you didn't get spanked?" Pietro looked confused. Peter had been about to get a spanking when he'd jumped off the drone, but it had ended in a fiasco of some sort.

"Oh, yeah? Try twice in one week" Peter pouted. Pietro winced in sympathy - he had felt Steve's strength during training.

"What you did today? That was brilliant!" Pietro grinned.

Peter gave a smile. "Well, it wasn't worth it. You know, you and I have gotten ourselves quite a reputation?"

Minutes later, the adults saw Pietro whoosh into the "library," then whoosh out again and materialize in front of them, yelling "You've built us a torture chamber!"

"Are you going to speak normally, or do you want to try the room out for size, Quicksilver?" Clint asked, pulling the boy down to sit beside him. Pietro pouted as Clint put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. Tony stared as Clint said something in a low voice and Pietro relaxed. How did they manage it?

The lounge was full of the Earth's mightiest heroes. Tony had arranged the furniture in a big circle. They looked at each other, no one knowing what Tony was up to.

Tony pulled out his StarkPhone, and placed it on the table. "Guilty Superheroes Anonymous" flashed out. Now they all turned to stare at Tony.

The screen flickered and an image of a smiling boy came up.

"That's Charles Spencer" Tony started "I didn't know him till I met his mom a few days back. Computer engineering degree. 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig. An Intel plan for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul. See the world, maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas which is what I would have done. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where? Sokovia!"

The others winced.

"He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass."

"Tony" Natasha said in a warning tone. She was holding Wanda's hand. Bruce had his glasses off and his eyes closed.

"For those who don't know, Ultron was my big damn idea!" Peter turned pale. "Yes it was. And you know what? I paid for everything we could replace. Didn't make much of a dent" Tony shrugged. "But I haven't slept after that, not counting the times I pass out in my workshop."

Tony looked around the room. The twins had moved closer to their mentors, Steve had his arm around Peter, but no one wanted to make eye contact. With Tony or with each other.

"I used to think it was just me - my fault after all. But looking around. You're all losing sleep. When I found out about Peter I thought this was one guy I could train and keep safe. Teach him not to make the mistakes we've made already. But apparently, I was too late."

Peter pulled his knees up to his chin. Steve gripped his shoulder.

"It's time we put whatever it is making us lose sleep out in the open. No one else cares, and even if they do, they can't -" Tony threw his arms wide.

There was silence in the room. A long silence which no one seemed ready to break.

"So what? Now we talk?" Thor asked.

"Yes." Tony answered.


	7. Chapter 7

The Avengers sat in the lounge, exhausted. Tissues and empty bottles of beer littered the room. The monsters had come out, one by one, and very hesitatingly at first. The first ones were those already known - Steve in Nazi Germany, Sam's fallen wingman. Slowly, deeper demons surfaced. No one in the group had known that Bucky had literally slipped from Cap's hand, or about the winter soldier. No one knew about Tony's panic attacks. When Thor reached for the box of tissues after talking about a planet-wide massacre a thousand years back, Clint talked about the only time he missed, and Natasha recounted a mission in a flat voice and thousand-yard stare, the people in the room had moved closer to each other in body and spirit.

Pietro confessed that the five bullet wounds had not eased his guilt, Wanda was held by Natasha, Clint, Steve and finally Bruce as she apologized over and over, and Peter recounted the story with the security guard after coaxing and prompting from the team.

"We try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn't mean everybody. But if we can't find a way to live with that, next time - maybe nobody can be saved." Steve said finally. There were murmurs of assent all around. That night, though all of them were plagued by the ghosts of their past, they rested better than they had in a long time.

The next day, Peter was with Tony testing out a new gauntlet for Spider-man. "How are you, Pete?" Tony asked quietly.

"Better, after yesterday," Peter answered. "That was a good idea."

"I think programming a suit to discipline you was a better one," Tony said. "Just kidding," He held up his hands as Peter looked up.

Peter chuckled, opening and closing his hand. This gauntlet fit much better than the older one. Tony reached out and flexed Peter's fingers, checking the gauntlet over. "You know, the first time I built a suit - it was in a cave." Peter twisted his hand, and the web shooter loaded smoothly.

" was with me. He saved my life, and he died when we came out. And I came home - built the first suit, went out and fought" Tony adjusted the grip a little. "And when my parents were killed too, I built a lot of stuff. You know, people like us, we think of saving the world, we forget to do one thing. We don't grieve those we lost." Right, that was deep, but really blunt, Tony thought. Steve would have put it better.

Peter froze, gauntlet held up in front of him. In all his guilt and crime-fighting, he had not noticed how much he missed his Uncle Ben. Memories flashed - of riding on Uncle Ben's shoulders, of his proud face smiling down when Peter won his first science contest, of long talks in the evenings - Uncle Ben was gone, and was not coming back. The reality finally hit Peter, and it hurt. And it hurt a lot.

Tony looked at Peter. Peter was staring into the distance, still as a statue. As Tony saw, a single tear rolled down his cheek. This was beyond what Tony could handle, or was it? Was he overthinking, should he call Steve? As he hesitated, Peter's face crumpled up, and without conscious thought Tony opened up his arms. Peter fell into them, his body going limp as he sobbed. Tony wrapped his arms around the boy. Holding him close, Tony moved to the settee where he usually napped. He sat down with Peter, letting the boy cry out his grief. Tony's arms felt like a fortress, and Peter cried without restraint. Through his tears, he felt Tony rubbing his back and saying "It's OK, Peter, let it all out, it's OK." After a long time, as Peter's crying subsided to low sobs, Dum-E brought a glass of water to the settee. Tony took it and held the glass for Peter to sip. As Peter nestled in Tony's arms, completely spent, Jarvis announced lunch.

"Tell the team that Peter and I will eat in my workshop, Jarvis." Tony said, his hand in Peter's hair. Almost immediately, Tony heard the elevator start working. A certain Captain had stepped inside, he thought, presumably to lecture both of them. He was right. Steve stepped out, saw Tony and Peter, turned on his heel and entered the elevator again. Once inside, Steve could not stop himself from cracking a wide smile.

"Jarvis, your boss is full of surprises," Steve said as the elevator went down.

"Mr. Stark understands emotion and physical affection Captain. But he will not admit it." the AI said, in its polite, formal voice.

"And how do you know that?" Cap asked, amused.

"Because he programmed me to understand them" a smug voice answered.

"Out flew the web and floated wide!" Tony heard Steve's voice as he came close to the training room. Jarvis had said that Wanda and Peter were training under Steve's supervision.

"The mirror crack'd from side to side" the next line was in Peter's hammed up voice. There was a dummy hanging just inside the entrance, which Tony pushed aside to step in - into a web which came flying at his face. Tony choked back a scream as the web shot him to the ceiling, but then it stopped and he was lowered slowly to the ground.

"The curse has come upon you!" Steve laughed, bending double. "You're the lady of Shalott!" Tony reached the ground and got up, the web still stuck to him.

Tony looked around. Wanda had collapsed in one corner of the training room, laughing helplessly.

Peter was laughing helplessly and had lost his footing too, right on the ceiling. The boy bobbed like a helium balloon.

Steve was wiping tears from his eyes. "Tony, the timing!"

"Why were you reciting Tennyson while training?" Tony asked in exasperation. He had thought that Steve was the only sane Avenger.

"Well, it was a web!" Wanda said, trying to stand up.

"And Wanda made it float," Peter swung across the room.

Steve jumped in with "And you're covered in a wispy veil of a sort, so you're - "

"The lady of Shalott!" came from the ceiling and the corner of the room. Steve wiped away another tear.

Captain Bloody America, laughing away like a teenager. It was a sight worth seeing. How old was the man, really? Twenty five? Thirty? Steve cut away the web, and called out "Right, you two, back to work."

"Right Cap, Sorry !" Peter called out from the ceiling, taking up his stance again.

"Ready now!" Wanda raised her hands, mouthing "Sorry!" to Tony. Tony looked at Steve. The laughing boy had gone, and the leader was back. Tony wondered how to bring the boy back, and often.

"Yes, some of us have business to attend to." Tony said, looking up. "Underoos, I'm shifting you to a room in my penthouse. That is, if you would like to."

Peter's eyes went wide. His bedroom was in an otherwise unoccupied floor. The adult Avengers had whole floors to themselves, each one with guest rooms, kitchens, specialty training rooms and studios for those who needed it. Pietro and Wanda had bedrooms in Clint and Natasha's floors. Peter didn't have much to complain about, for he had the use of the common floor as well as the lounge and game room declared teen-only by tacit consent, all the training rooms, and Bruce's lab and Tony's workshop. But to move into Tony's realm would be wonderful! "Wow, yes!" he said.

"Jarvis, how long will that take?" Tony asked.

"About a day, sir," Came the answer.

"It's settled then. Till your room is ready, how about you visit your aunt? It's been a while, hasn't it?" Tony asked.

It had been two weeks, and Peter did want to see her after the last few days. "Yeah.." he answered.

"Get ready titch. You won't be travelling with air conditioning, so dress warmly." Tony said before leaving.

Steve reached up his arms and Peter jumped right into them. "Have a good visit, Spider-man!" Steve said with a hug and a clap on his back. "Bye Cap, Bye Wanda!" Peter said, running out of the lab.

Peter changed out of his workout clothes. Why was there no air conditioning? He wondered. Usually on his visits he went down to the foyer where Jarvis would have a self navigating car ready. He pulled on an extra thick jacket, and stepped into the elevator. No luggage, as usual on these visits. He pressed the first-floor button but nothing happened. Strange. Even stranger was the sleek helmet on the elevator rail.

"Mr. Stark wants you to come to the landing pad, Peter," Jarvis said, "And put that helmet on." Peter put it on, flipped the visor open, and the elevator started moving up instead of down.

Peter walked on to the landing pad just as Tony went through the spinning rings. To his utter glee, Iron Man held out his arms. Peter walked up to him and was turned with his back towards Iron Man's chest. A strong arm gripped him tight, and Iron Man took off.

Peter flew through the sky. "whoo!" He yelled, "Faster, go faster" till they touched down on his terrace. The suit went into sentry mode, and Tony stepped out in a suit and sunglasses. They walked down to the apartment.

Aunt May welcomed him with open arms and motioned Tony inside. She had fixed him a large dinner, and baked a walnut date loaf too. Peter wolfed down the food, watching Tony struggle with the walnut date loaf.

After dinner, Peter happily sat down next to his aunt, who wanted to know about everything he had done.

Peter talked about the arc reactor, the super strength polymer and his work with , but his aunt didn't seem satisfied.

"I must say, I'm not comfortable with the internship Mr. Stark." she said "Peter is missing classes at school. Will he get his high school diploma?"

Tony had not thought about that, and it was a very valid point."I'll make arrangements for that, . You need not worry on that account. Peter is a brilliant lad." he said.

"Yes, but he's living there - I may not be a genius , but I do know how geniuses work. They are single-minded!"

"Yes, May. just sits and works in his tower for days, like the Lady of Shalott!" Peter said, grinning at Tony. Tony glared back.

May paid no attention to his comment though. "Peter's brilliant, of course - and never gets into trouble." Aunt May ruffled his hair. while Tony turned a laugh into a cough. "Does he have rules, though? A curfew? Even a good boy needs discipline."

Tony saw a chance for revenge. "He gets spanked if he steps out of line," he said with a smile.

"Mr. Stark!" Peter said in shock.

"I'm actually happy to hear that, Peter," May said. "It's good for you." She smiled at Peter, but then asked. "When was the last time you got a spanking?"

Peter squirmed, "Yesterday."

"And before that?"

"A week before?"

May frowned. Peter was getting very uncomfortable."May, may I go to bed?" He was surprised to get two hugs before he was sent off.

He was even more surprised when he woke two hours later and heard May and Tony still talking.

The next day went well for Peter, till his aunt sent him to his room, and came there with a wooden spoon a few minutes later.

"Mr. Stark said you were rude to Steve Rogers, and you got spanked yesterday for a a prank. You weren't raised to disrespect a national hero or to hurt others. You've started misbehaving as soon as you were out of my control, Peter. You're only 15, and I'm still responsible for you. I will not tolerate this!" She scolded, bringing the wooden spoon down rapidly on the seat of his pants.

Peter didn't feel pain, but he pretended to be hurt and squirmed and kicked. He also cried, but the tears were real. Why would Mr. Stark do this to him?


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Tony called Steve, Bruce, Clint and Natasha to discuss the teens' education. Though they were training the kids in a number of skills, the kids did not have any formal certifications.

High school was not a good idea. Pietro and Wanda were known to the public, and there was a bit of paranoia surrounding them. Peter on the other hand, was learning science at a much higher level than was possible in high school. Jarvis pulled up a number of homeschooling programs, one of which seemed flexible enough for the twins. Natasha and Clint had little to no formal education, but they could monitor progress. Steve could teach high school Math and Science - he had been smart well before the serum made him a super fast learner and tactician.

Tony played with the AI a little more to come up with a curriculum for Peter, with Bruce adding his inputs. The final one was something they knew Peter would be happy with.

"I can teach all of them History - I read up to World War I in high school, and I sort of know about the great depression and WWII" Steve offered.

"And I can help out with Math and Science for the twins when they need it." said Bruce.

"No, not for Pietro. You haven't seen him when he doesn't want to do something." Clint said, leaning back against the couch. The others laughed. Now to see what the kids would say.

Peter returned in the late afternoon in one of Tony's cars. His face was drawn, he didn't respond well to Steve's hug, or to his gentle "What's wrong, Spidey?" He slumped down on the couch when the teens were called in to talk homeschooling.

When Bruce showed him his curriculum though, he perked up enough to jump on to the ceiling, yelling "This is awesome!" though he started sulking again almost immediately.

"Wanda?" Steve asked.

"Can we go to college after this?" She asked.

"Of course", "Definitely","Anywhere you want to!" came the answers.

Natasha gave her a squeeze, as Clint turned to Pietro.

"You're already training me. Why do I need this education?" Pietro asked, shrugging his shoulders.

Clint looked at him. "Seriously?"

"Those," he pointed to the plan projected in front of him "are boring, Clint."

"Pietro, if you want to learn anything that's not there - like music maybe - we'll figure out ways for you." Tony offered. "But you do need to learn these subjects if you want a high school diploma."

"Tony, I'm a superhero. I'm not going to work in an office!"

"And if someone figures out how to enhance everyone, you won't be!" Steve pointed out.

"I'll work in a diner, Cap! You know how many college graduates work in those places?" He made air quotes over "college" and looked at Wanda.

"You do need" Bruce started, but Pietro cut him off. "Science can't explain why I'm fast, or why Wanda can move things with her mind." "And it can't-"

Clint gripped Pietro's arm."Right, come on down. We need to talk this over."

As they left the room, Steve looked up at the ceiling. "You want to talk about what's bothering you?"

"Nothing's bothering me, Cap. See, I'm bouncing off the walls." Peter demonstrated, literally bouncing off. On his third trip across the room, Natasha grabbed his arm, swiveled him over her back and sent him careening to Steve, who caught him neatly and held him up, two feet above the ground. That's right, handle me like a toddler, Peter thought.

"When did you eat, terror?" Steve asked. Peter seethed. How old was he? Two?

"One o clock." Peter answered in a sulky voice.

"That's too long. Come on, let's get something to eat." Steve threw him over his shoulder and went to the kitchen.

"Peter Parker, ladies and gentlemen, your friendly neighborhood rag doll." Peter yelled out.

Steve plonked him down on the kitchen counter and rooted through the admirably well-stocked fridge. Super soldier serums, radioactivity, enhancements and super rigorous training regimens led to huge appetites. He pulled out a large bowl of cut fruits and half a pizza and asked "So, were things groovy at your aunt's?"

"Cap! It's been years since anyone said that word!" Peter said a in disgusted tone as Steve popped the pizza in the microwave and the fruits in the blender.

Good, thought Steve, adding protein powder, milk and sugar to the blender. Now for something "current" straight from 1939. "So, nothing's eating you then?"

"Argh!" Peter clapped his hands over his ears.

Tony stepped in, and Steve noticed Peter pout and go stiff. What had Tony done? He wondered.

"You know, when I came out of the ice, I couldn't believe how far things had gone. I mean slavery was bad, but having a President who is -" he turned around to see two shell-shocked faces. The two biggest blabbermouths in the tower, and he had shut them up!

"If you get to be a sullen teenager, I get to be a cranky racist 100 year old." He handed a piece of pizza to Peter, and took one himself.

Tony laughed. Peter tried to suppress his laughter, but a snort escaped. Steve topped his pizza with whipped cream. Tony grimaced while Peter gagged. "The sort of stuff you whippersnappers call food..." Steve took a large bite.

Peter burst out laughing. Steve waited for him to finish, and put an arm around him. "Now, Peter. What happened at Aunt May's?" he asked gently.

"May spanked me. With a wooden spoon." Peter turned to Tony. "You told her I get into a lot of trouble, that I mouthed off to Cap and I'm playing pranks, and she thinks I've become undisciplined." Peter's voice was bitter.

Tony winced. "I'm sorry, Pete! I didn't think-"

"Tony, what made you tell her that?" Steve asked, hands on his hips.

"I mentioned 'Lady of Shalott'," Peter said in a small voice.

Steve sighed and ruffled Peter's hair. "You two - you're just perfect for each other. Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't. Didn't even when she was doing it. Just so unfair."

"Yes it is, and I'll talk to your aunt and clear things up." Tony pulled out his phone.

"You talked to her for hours last night!" Peter winced at what he'd let slip and his petulant tone. How old was he? Fifteen or Five?

Ahh, thought Steve. Tony had a lot of talking to do. He tasted the smoothie he had made, and gave Peter the other one. "I'm going to the lounge. You two finish up here. Every drop, Peter." he said, just in time to see Clint and Pietro heading to the "library."

"Ohhhh" Peter said. Tony shrugged, and Steve leaned back on the counter.

Minutes later, Peter suddenly looked up. Before Steve could react, he ran into the corridor, just as Wanda blew out the door to the library. As the Avengers jumped up from their seats, their bodies ready for a fight, Peter leaped across the corridor. Steve and Natasha reacted first, running after Peter. A piercing scream came from the library.

"Everyone stand back. Stand back!" Peter heard Clint yell when he reached the empty doorframe, the others hot at his heels.

Peter looked inside. Pietro was over Clint's lap, his pants and underwear down to his knees. His hands and feet were being held by something he was struggling against.

Quickly, Peter whipped off his jacket and covered Pietro. Steve and Natasha ran into the library and stopped short.

Natasha took one look, ran out and caught Wanda by the shoulders. "Don't go inside. Pietro is fine. Bruce, you too."

"Just relax and stay still, Pietro" they heard Jarvis say, just as Steve yelled "Anthony Edward Stark!"

When Clint dragged Pietro to his floor, he had thought a quiet discussion would clear up things. It turned out he was being too optimistic. Pietro was not ready to listen to reason or even to stand still. Clint tried to talk to him but he flashed around the room, spouting meaningless and offensive quips when he stopped.

"Homeschooling is for retards and bible thumpers."

"Are you going to make us all American? Get rid of our accents?"

Till finally "You know what the most educated among us does? Smash!"

That's when Clint caught him and dragged him into the elevator and into the library.

When they entered, the door locked automatically startling both of them. Clint saw that the couch had been replaced by a large recliner. The next instant, the arms of the recliner fell to the sides. Clint's back would be supported, and Pietro's legs and torso would hang down. Did Stark think of this? Clint wondered,

"Clint, please don't - It's Stark's invention or something." Pietro said. He was scared. Clint decided to get it over with.

"Get over my lap, now!" Clint ordered, sitting down.

There was a blur and Pietro was bare bottomed on his lap. The boy did this sometimes - if he was too embarrassed - and Clint had no problems with it.

Clint saw a red beam hit Pietro's bottom and looked around for the source. The next instant, he heard Pietro scream. There were padded cuffs over Pietro's wrists and shins. Clint tried to reach them, but he was pinned down by Pietro.

To make things worse, the door blew clean off its hinges and Peter practically flew in.

Pietro kicked and twisted. Clint tried to calm him down, rubbing his back and saying "Relax now, lightning."

"Peter, go to the lounge." Steve ordered and turned to Pietro."Pietro, I'm going to try and get these cuffs off, OK?" Steve asked, but Pietro was still shaking.

Quickly kneeling beside the boy, Steve pulled at the cuff at the hinge and it broke. Relieved, Steve broke open the rest of the cuffs while Clint righted his clothing. Steve stood up and Clint gathered Pietro up.

Iron man appeared at the entrance.

"Get out of that thing and come to the lounge." Steve said, striding out. "Give them a bit of privacy."

"Send Wanda here, Steve?" Clint called out.

How is Pietro? Wanda asked Steve the moment he stepped into the lounge. "He's fine, you can go to him." Steve said, and Wanda ran out.

Steve went to Peter next. "You reacted well today. No panic, no time wasted. If either of them had been in any real danger, you would have saved the day." He gave Peter a quick hug. "But right now, they're fine, and we need to deal with who's responsible. So, go somewhere where you can't overhear us."

Peter pouted a little, but left.

In the library, Wanda tried to settle Pietro as Clint rubbed his back. "It's OK, nothing happened." He said over and over.

"I'm sorry Clint. I'll study. I'll do whatever you say" Pietro sobbed.

"Hush, Whitey. We can talk about all that later. Calm down now."

"He has Stark written all over the cuffs!" Pietro blurted out through his tears. Clint pressed Pietro close to him. That man...

"Right. How about the next time we train I miss a bunch of targets when Stark's nearby, hmm? Some itching powder? Poison ivy tips?"

Pietro hid his face in Clint's shoulder. He didn't want to go out, to face the others. Finally, Wanda's magic seemed to get through, and Pietro fell asleep.

Clint picked him up, and Wanda accompanied them to the teens lounge, where Peter was randomly looking through channels. He settled Pietro on the couch, and clapped Peter on the shoulder. "That was well done." He whispered, and went down. There was a certain billionaire he wanted to take apart.

"Just what were you thinking?" Steve asked Tony.

'It would have let go as soon as he was in position." Tony tried to explain. "It's just to make things easier -"

"Making changes without telling me or Clint? No abort switches?" Steve snapped.

Steve was frightening when he was angry. And Natasha, Thor, and Bruce were also glaring at him.

"And you know, Pietro doesn't *like* seeing the Stark logo up close? He has a *slightly* painful memory of it?" Clint said, stepping into the room.

"Oh for God's sake! Do you want those kids to start hating you again?" Natasha asked.

Tony pushed his hands into his pockets and looked down. He should have stopped with the robots and the suits and the casual sex. Teamwork, guardianship, a relationship - not for someone like him.

"All said and done, Pietro, is a good sort." Peter said, handing Pietro a bag of chips. Wanda's calming sleep had been short, but now her arms were wrapped around him.

"Oh yeah?" Pietro asked. "It's not like he's done anything to you."

"Well, he told on me and got me spanked by my aunt, and before that he spanked me with his gauntlet - burned the skin and bruised the muscle..."

"Jesus, Peter!"

"Thing is, he does mean well. You remember that guilt thing we had a couple of days back?" Pietro nodded. He and Clint had talked for a long time after that meeting. "And he can't help inventing and improving!" Peter shrugged.

"So what? I'll just let this go?" Pietro asked, stretching out on the couch.

"He was terrified, Peter." Wanda added, pulling Pietro's head into her lap. Her brother still needed calming down.

"No, just don't let it get to you. Cap is probably yelling at him right now, Clint too.. We don't need to get mad." Peter said. "We'll just get even."

Pietro sat up at once, almost hitting Wanda.

"Are you two insane?" Wanda asked, as the boys started whispering.


	9. Chapter 9

The Avengers were at breakfast. It was rare for all the resident Avengers to be in for a meal, even rarer for all of them to be up for breakfast. With Thor also present, the meal was becoming a very big one.

"Why don't adults get spanked?" Peter asked suddenly, taking a bite out of his Pop-Tart. If Thor was there, they just kept on coming.

"Peter!" Steve warned, not turning away from the eggs he was scrambling.

"It's a purely philosophical question, Cap!" Peter protested.

"Yeah, I'm almost adult - an adult" - Pietro added, correcting himself.

"And you'll get spanked as long as you insist on behaving like a child." Clint said, as Steve brought a huge pot of scrambled eggs to the table and watched as the food disappeared in front of his eyes. With a grin, Clint got up and started putting strips of bacon in a pan.

"Really, though! The age for becoming an adult is arbitrary, not based on anything physiological! And what makes adults unspankable anyway? Who draws the line? It's really not fair!" Peter waved his fork as he spoke. He looked adorable when he was earnest about something, Steve thought.

"Adults are punished too, Peter - there are long lasting consequences to our actions we cannot get away from. There's corporal punishment as well - judicial, military punishments," Bruce said, ruffling Peter's hair as he passed with a basket of fruit. Steve hid a chuckle. So even Bruce was not immune to "earnest Peter Parker!" Of course not - Tony and Bruce were the first to fall victim to Peter's charm after all.

"Yeah, but those punishments are, are, are, dignified." Pietro said. His English was very fluent, but he did search for words at times.

"Dignified? Being beaten by a stranger after getting sentenced at court in front of witnesses? That's dignified?" Clint asked, putting strips of bacon on a tray. Pietro carried the tray to the table.

"You don't lie across someone's lap with your butt out." Peter answered.

"And you don't get any comfort. It's punishment, not discipline" Steve pointed out.

Peter picked up a pile of plates, letting Natasha place a platter of toast on the table. He took the plates to the dishwasher. "What I'm saying is, if I or Pietro, or even Wanda had pulled any of that stuff did last week-"

"Enough of that!" Steve said in a very quiet voice and Peter stopped mid-sentence. His face went from animated to sullen.

"Were you punished in the army, Cap?" Pietro asked now. Natasha groaned as she opened a box of cereal. What was it with the boys today?

"No pet. Those are for major infractions." Steve answered. Pietro hid a smile at the "pet."

"Really though. How old were you guys when you last got spanked?" Peter had perked up and moved next to Clint to start devouring bacon.

"That's personal, Spawn of Shelob!" Tony rapped Peter on the head, taking a gulp of black coffee. He hadn't eaten a bite yet. And he was the only one in the room who hadn't helped with breakfast.

"It's not. You know about us, each time we get it." Peter said, and Pietro nodded vehemently, adding "You've set up a room. And you're inventing stuff for it."

"I'm also inventing stuff for your game room!" Tony snapped back.

"That's not the point!" Peter said around a mouthful of bacon.

"Right. If it will make you shut up? I was 16." Natasha admitted.

"19 here. I was still in the circus." Clint was next.

"I was 15," Bruce said.

"Two thousand!" Thor boomed, eliciting stares from the whole room. "In Midgardian years - maybe 18?"

"I was 12!" Wanda said in a smug voice. Pietro rolled his eyes. "You just don't get caught." Wanda stuck her tongue out at him.

"I was 16," Tony answered. The whole room looked at Steve, expectantly.

"17," said Steve, flushing to his ears and touching his left eyebrow. The room fell silent. Steve Rogers could lie with a face of brass when it was required in the field, but otherwise - anything other than the whole truth led to that particular gesture. Tony had spotted it within a week of his moving into the tower.

"Cap! You touched your eyebrow!" Wanda giggled.

Steve glared at her. Why couldn't he stop doing that stupid thing?

"You must have been older." Tony said, now picking up a piece of toast. "Steve, were you older than 20?"

"No!" Steve said, his hand went up to his left eye, and dropped. Laughter rocked the room.

"All because of you, little monster!" He picked up Peter up from the kitchen counter and gave him quite a hard swat on his bottom. Pietro winced. That swat was hard!

Peter didn't react much to the swat. "But Cap, Cap -You were on your own from when you were 18. And then you were in the army and you said you didn't get punished there-"

Peter was talking very fast, again looking adorable. Steve had scolded and spanked the poor kid over breakfast! He pulled Peter into a hug, then held him in a headlock while Peter squirmed to get away. "You all know the first time I rescued some POWs?" he asked the room in general.

"The 1000 men?" Wanda asked, wide eyed. Wanda and Pietro had not grown up on Captain America's adventures, and the stories were still unbelievable to them.

Steve walked his fingers along Peter's ribs, making him giggle and squirm."Yeah, that time. Colonel Phillips said no disciplinary action was necessary, even though I had disobeyed explicit orders. Seems he meant only no official action." Steve released Peter, and Peter jumped on to the wall out of Steve's reach before joining in the others' laughter.

"What did he wallop you with? And was it on-" asked Pietro and was promptly pulled straight up out of his seat and swatted. Pietro gasped - the way Cap had lifted him out of his chair, like he weighed nothing, and then that swat! "Clint!" he yelled.

"You heard the story. Commanding officers have certain rights." Clint shrugged. The laughter started again.

"You're not getting any more detail from me. Unless you want me to re-enact what happened..." Steve said as he hugged Pietro. The others were still laughing. Pietro chuckled. Though he wouldn't admit it even to himself, he loved the attention.

"See, this is what I'm talking about. When do we get to say the same things without-" Peter stopped as Tony cut in.

"Don't change the topic, titch. Steve, was that why you didn't receive the medal of valor in person? You couldn't *sit* through the ceremony?" Steve tugged Tony to his right. Tony yelled "Hey!" starting off another round of laughter.

After breakfast, the kids went to their classes - in Peter's case to Tony's workshop. The next time Steve saw him, he was frowning. Before he asked, Peter pulled out his StarkPhone and flicked it - and it projected an image of Steve and Peter. A beautiful image, actually, with Peter's head on Steve's chest. Something he never ever did in public. "He took it from Jarvis' archives and sent it to May, to show her we're close." Steve didn't need to ask who "he" was. He reached out an arm. "I'm OK, Cap. Mr. Stark does stuff like that" Peter shrugged.

"Come here. This is for being mature about it." Steve said.

"Jarvis, go away." Peter said before launching himself into Steve's open arms.

Peter had a point, Steve thought. They had an adult who wouldn't go to bed on time, wouldn't eat a proper meal unless forced to and made his team miserable by trying to help. By what rule was it wrong to spank Tony Stark? Hmmm! Captain America was feeling a little devilish!

Steve stopped at the entrance of Tony's workshop. "Hey, Tony, busy?" he asked. Tony and Bruce didn't like their domains invaded without permission, except when a certain 15-year old brunet decided to walk on their walls.

"Come in, Steve!" Tony called. He had his glasses on, reading some papers, but took them off when Steve came in.

"I need your opinion on something." Steve said, calling out "Jarvis?"

"Yes Captain?" The AI answered.

"Would you pull up all the schematics your boss did for the library please. And everything that he was working on to discipline Peter."

The blue holograms filled the room. Tony got up and came to where Steve was standing.

"Jarvis, put the suit in the library, as the person doing the spanking." Steve said, and the schematics shifted. "How finished would you say this is?" he asked Tony.

Tony bounced on the balls of his feet, spinning the glasses around his finger. "It's sheer genius, that's what it is. A bit of flesh textured polymer on the hand of the suit, and-"

"I think I found a way to ease your guilt when you mess up, Tony!" Steve said, his hands in his pockets.

Tony gaped as he realized what Steve was suggesting. "Are you mad? I thought you were talking about selling these. To prisons or something? That's not easing my guilt, that's torture! And anyway, it can't work as it is now!"

"And you came up with all these to discipline a couple of boys - and they're good lads, really." Steve said. "Although I suppose you're right - the suit working independently would be impossible!" Steve left, leaving a thoughtful Tony behind. He had a meeting with Pepper.

Peter and Pietro sat with their heads together in the teens lounge. Wanda had noise cancelling headphones on and was sitting right in front of the TV.

"Jarvis, I'm not a part of this." Wanda said loudly.

"Jarvis is OFF!" Peter said with glee. "But you have to be here. We need an alibi."

He turned to Pietro."This is the point you unhook the arc reactor. And here's where I want you to insert the capsule. You got it?"

"Right, but what if it happens in battle? " Pietro asked. "We'll all die, the Earth will be destroyed, and then we'll get spanked in the afterlife!"

"He never uses the old suits in battle once he makes a new one, and we're using the Mach 55!" Peter pointed out.

"You do realize this is going to end with both of you sleeping on your stomachs right?" Wanda asked.

"Now, tell me how long it will take you. Unhook this, plug this in, and -" Peter ignored her in favour of their plan.

Steve sat in Pepper's office. These monthly visits between "the two bosses" had started off as formal meetings. Right now, they were sessions that they both looked forward to.

"Pepper, I'm going to be rude." Steve took a gulp of his beer. No effect, of course, but fun.

"Go ahead." Pepper said over her own glass of champagne.

"How are things between you and Tony?" Steve asked.

"We've decided to consciously uncouple." was the answer.

"Wha-? Oh you mean you're going to be seeing other people?" Steve translated back into English. 21st century talk could make his head ache at times.

"Yes, we just feel it's easier for us to be friends." Pepper sat down next to him.

"How do you manage it though? Today Peter was asking why no one spanks adults - I really don't know why Tony shouldn't be." Steve fell back on the couch cushions.

"Oh, he's a toddler, alright. You should never tell him some things, like " don't do that ", " that's impossible..."

Something rang a bell in Steve's mind. What had he told Tony was impossible?

"Cap!" Steve looked up from where he was supervising Pietro and Wanda's diagnostic tests. Peter landed first in the doorway, then jumped right on to the wall next to him.

"Not now, Peter!" Steve snapped.

"But Cap!" Peter said again.

Steve sighed. Teenagers! "What is it?" he asked, forcing his voice to stay level.

"There's a suit going into the library!" Peter said.

"Cap, you can't - that room, it's already" Pietro jumped up now.

"Sit down, Pietro. Peter, get off that wall. You two can calm down, that room is going to be made back into a library." Steve said, and the boys grinned. "We're shifting the discipline stuff to this floor."Steve finished.

"Aw, Cap!" "Ohhhh!" the boys protested.

"It makes sense - your game room, your lounge, your classrooms and the discipline stuff in one place. You won't have to be dragged in front of the whole team to be disciplined!" The boys still looked petulant. "So that suit does not concern you in any way." Steve finished. "Pietro, finish the test. Peter, why were you on the common floor?"

"Um - I" Peter stammered. Steve glared at him, and Peter hung his head.

"Go back to work or you'll soon get into trouble." Steve hugged Peter, and Peter walked out. Right over the table, on the ceiling and out the door. Steve saw another problem. Super serum be damned, he was going to get white hairs.

"Wanda, honey?" Steve called and Wanda looked up. "If I see you moving Pietro's pen again, a certain milestone in your life is going to change. Immediately."

Wanda put her hands down at once. "I'm sorry, Cap!" she said in a little voice. Cap spanking her? On her bare -? Her face flushed red. Without conscious thought, she projected her feelings to Steve, who blushed.

"Are you done with your work?" Steve asked.

"Yes." Wanda answered.

"Then you can go and join Natasha." Steve said, and Wanda closed her book and got up. "But come here first." He said, beckoning her. Steve held Wanda in a firm hug, whispering "Natasha can do it if you're embarrassed." Wanda realised she had projected her feelings, and blushed again."But it doesn't have to come to that. Just behave as you always have, love." Steve released her and turned to Pietro, and resisted an impulse to punch the wall. Pietro was agitated and fidgeting."Pietro. Don't fidget, you're blurring around the edges!"

"Yes, Cap. I'm sorry!" Pietro's face fell immediately, and he wrapped an arm around himself.

Steve sighed. Peter, Wanda, and now Pietro. Was he that scary? "Really now. You kids can stand up to terrorists and supervillians, but I raise my voice a little-" Steve came up to Pietro and hugged him. "Settle down, now." To Steve's surprise, Pietro didn't pull away in a second like he usually did. Ah, of course! He'd never held Pietro without others in the room. He gave Pietro a cuddle, and as he expected, Pietro snuggled into him. The boy was calmer now and Steve kissed his temple."There. Now you're not blurring. Any more fidgeting and you're going to do the whole test sitting on my lap. All right?"

The hug felt good, and the cuddle even better, but Pietro blushed when Steve suggested his lap. That would be nice! A little voice said in his head, and he blushed even more. Once Steve let him go Pietro busied himself with his work. He had to finish this on time, or Peter and he wouldn't be able to sync things up. Tony Stark was going down!

Steve sank his head onto the table when Pietro finally stepped out. He was done!

"Jarvis, lock the door!" Tony commanded.

"I strongly recommend that you do not continue this, sir"

Ignoring Jarvis, Tony walked across to the recliner. His suit, the Mach 55, sat on the couch. He had brought the recliner and the suit up to his workshop after trying to do the experiment once in the library.

"Jarvis, start recording!" Tony commanded again.

"Start protocol 77265" Tony said. The suit positioned him across its lap and held him immobile.

Tony breathed carefully, as the suit bared his bottom. Oof, the cold metal! And the butterflies in his stomach!

"End testing." Tony said, and was released. Now to actually get the suit to spank him.


	10. Chapter 10

"Are you that stupid, boy? We went over these twice yesterday. How long is that diagonal?" Cap asked, gripping Pietro's ear.

"Cap, it's - it's-" Pietro struggled. He closed his eyes for a moment and felt Cap's hand connect with his cheek. The pain came an instant later, and tears ran down his cheeks.

Cap twisted his ear. "Think, idiot! 13-year-olds do this stuff," Cap snapped at Pietro with a slap across his shoulders. Pietro tried to focus through the pain and fear. AB-squared + CD-squared or...?

Clint came in and glared at Pietro. "What is it, Steve?" he asked.

"He's refusing to learn, Clint. I've been struggling with him for a week, and he's not able to do a single problem yet." Cap said, with another cuff to Pietro's head. Pietro sobbed.

"Lazy boy. Slaps and the hairbrush are not enough to get through your thick hide, are they? Steve, hold him down." Clint said. Cap threw Pietro onto the table, pinning him down, while Clint pulled off his belt. Pietro struggled, tears running down his cheeks as his pants were undone and dragged off.

"No, please! Clint, Cap! Please don't" Pietro screamed. Clint gripped his shoulder.

"Wake up, Pietro, wake up!" Clint called out. Pietro was thrashing around, a blur on the bed. His sheets and pillows had been kicked off, and Clint was wary of getting a supersonic kick.

Finally, Pietro opened his eyes. In that instant, Clint grabbed both his arms and pinned them to his side, and pinned Pietro's knees down with a leg. "Clint, I'll do better!" Pietro screamed again, and Clint held him down, looking him straight in the eyes. He released the boy once the confusion in the boy's eyes gave way to relief.

"Yes, Whitey, it was just a nightmare," Clint said, putting the pillow back under Pietro's head. "Mind telling me what it was about, hmm? What was so scary?"

Pietro shook his head, still gasping from the nightmare. It had been so real! Clint wiped away Pietro's tears and stroked his hair. "Want some water?" he asked, and poured out a glass when Pietro nodded. Raising the boy to rest against him, Clint held the glass for Pietro, then helped him back into bed."You're safe, lightning. No one is going to harm you. Back to sleep, now." he said, tucking the boy in. He waited till Pietro's breathing slowed down to a steady rhythm, then quietly left the room leaving the door open. Pietro had screamed "Clint, Cap, No!" What could he have dreamed about?

That morning, however, Pietro was fine as he and Peter crept into Tony's workshop. Peter bypassed Jarvis, the boys went up to the Mach 55, and Pietro disassembled it in a few seconds. They split up the parts and laid out their tools. Paintbrushes, a chemical from Bruce's lab, and a modified version of web fluid.

Quietly, they drew lines of the two chemicals over a number of joints. "Nothing will happen the next few times Mr. Stark uses this, but once they've melted together, they'll freeze the whole thing. And then evaporate by the time Mr. Stark takes it apart." Peter explained.

"So first he's literally stuck, then he's figratively stuck!" Pietro laughed. "Figuratively," corrected Peter.

"Why do the hands feel so real?" Pietro asked.

Peter had noticed it as well. "It's Dr. Cho's artificial tissue. Maybe he's working towards a flesh textured suit." He shrugged.

"Eww!" Pietro said, and Peter nodded. The boys worked quickly and were done with the painting when a beep came from Peter's watch. Peter looked at his watch and said "10 seconds!" In a flash, the armor was back in place, and Pietro picked up Peter and rushed out. The next minute, the boys were sitting with the adults and Wanda in the lounge, looking as serious as they could possibly be.

"A schedule has been prepared for each of the teens, for 140 hours every week," Jarvis announced. The three teens opened their mouths to protest but stopped when they realized that the schedule included sleeping and mealtimes. Steve rolled his eyes at Tony, who shrugged.

The new schedule had four spells of scheduled activity: The teens would have two training sessions every day, and spend mornings working in their classrooms. Afternoons were for extra classes.

"Extra classes?" The teens pouted.

"Well, instead of getting tutors here, I thought it would be better for you to take classes outside." Tony said, and Pietro asked "classes on what?"

"Anything you choose, as long as it's a new skill," Steve answered.

"Photography?" Peter asked, and Tony gave him a thumbs up.

Natasha nudged Wanda, who tentatively asked "Ballet?" The other adults looked at Natasha, who said "Show them!" to Wanda, and told Jarvis to play music. Wanda flitted gracefully across the room turning and leaping. When she sat down the adults gave her a round of applause. "When she can control things with her mind, she should be able to control her own body too. Wanda picked up a lifetime's worth of ballet in a month." Natasha explained.

Pietro had no idea about extra classes, but Clint and Steve assured him that he would hit upon something. Then came the best part - Tony was giving the twins a car to get to their classes. The teens also had a curfew, but all said, this was much more freedom than they had till then.

"How do I get to classes?" Peter pouted.

"Automatic car, Carpool with the twins, or I'll drop you off," Tony said, and Peter perked up at the last one. An attachment would be good, Tony thought. A harness of some sort for a passenger. He'd get started on it right after he fine-tuned his current experiment. He headed to his floor.

"Anthony Stark, for breaking rule X, you are to receive a spanking." The Mach 55 informed him, and the recliner it was sitting on opened up. He had chosen a stern voiced AI and it was working very well. He had not specified a crime, but hearing the sentence spoken out loud was frightening.

"Come and stand directly in front of me." the suit ordered. Tony moved into position, and there was a beep as the suit scanned his position. "Raise your arms." came the next command, and Tony obeyed again, gulping. The suit then undid his jeans and pulled them down along with his underpants. Half naked, Tony shivered, even if he knew there was no one else in the room, not even Jarvis.

The suit took him by the hand and laid him across its lap. He had to cushion the front of the suit's thighs, Tony thought as he hit the hard metal. The recliner sides came up, supporting his legs and his torso. Tony shivered. If it was this scary when he was in control?

"What are you going to be spanked for?" The suit asked. Tony's torso was now clamped down by the suit's arm.

"For breaking rule X," Tony answered.

"Are you ready for your punishment?" The suit asked again.

"Yes," Tony answered, his heart aflutter.

With a whirr, the suit raised its arm and brought it back down.

"Ouch!" Tony clenched his fists. That was what he had expected, the pain was intense but not unbearable, and it felt like a human hand. After the initial sting, the pain increased alarmingly, and the suit brought its hand down again."Ow, Ow, Ow." Tony yelped as he was spanked three more times. Tony felt the suit shift. Now came the next part of the program, the worst part for him, the undercurve. He braced himself for the pain.

However, the suit pushed him too much forward and Tony tumbled to the floor. Right, more work ahead. He pressed a button on his watch, freezing the suit and got up, righting his clothes.

Jarvis piped up immediately. "Are you feeling contrite, sir?"

"Shut up, Jarvis!" Tony snapped. He gave his bottom a rub. He had other work to do, and the suit had to wait. He entered the elevator, stopping at the teens' lounge. "Wanda, get out of here and find Natasha. I have a car ready, you need ballet gear." When Wanda walked past, he stopped her. "Anything you like, all right? Don't look at the price." Wanda nodded, and Tony turned back to the boys. "You two, my workshop, now! Stop what you're doing!"

The two boys nervously made their way to the workshop. Were they caught?

However, Tony had other ideas in mind. There were prototypes for Pietro to test, new sneakers and a bodysuit, and a camera for Peter. A state of the art DSLR with accessories and multiple lenses. Peter gave a whoop while Pietro tried on the sneakers.

"Decide what you need classes in, and we'll get you what you need," Tony said to Pietro who was grinning.

"Should we clean off the armor?" Pietro asked as they made their way back to the lounge. After the schedule, the car, and the sudden gifts, it seemed very unfair to trick Tony.

"Yeah, I think so, as soon as I find the right solvent," Peter answered, fondling his DSLR. But that might take some time, he knew. In the meantime, he had to learn how to use his new camera!

"Cap, pose with the shield?" Peter jumped around Steve's apartment with his DSLR.

"I've posed way too many times with my shield. Go bother someone else!" Steve hid the shield behind a cushion.

"I'll go photograph Dr. Banner at work!" Peter said and made his way to Bruce's lab. Bruce was staring at a number of screens at once, and Peter walked up next to him. Bruce's laboratory was the only place where he bothered to walk on the floor.

"Dr. Banner, see my new camera. Can I photograph you, please?" Peter said, bobbing on the balls of his feet.

"Yes, you may!" Bruce said and went back to work, and Peter started clicking from every possible angle, including right through the screens. Bruce laughed. The pictures went to the main server, just like everything else in the tower, and Jarvis sent them across to Tony.

Tony saw the images on the StarkPhone and grinned. Bruce, laughing while looking at a bunch of equations, looking completely at ease. Steve grinning with his shield hidden behind a couch cushion. His little spider had what it took to be a good photographer. He was still looking at the pictures when a sudden explosion rocked the tower, pushing him to the ground.

"Dr. Banner's laboratory has been hit," Jarvis announced. Tony's training kicked in, and he motioned for his Hulkbuster armor without thinking. He jumped out the window suited up halfway, and flew down to where the explosion had taken out a wall, and a sickening sight met his eyes. Peter hung on to Hulk's back, and Hulk was trying to shake Peter off vigorously. Tony flew to the pair, and suddenly, Hulk turned back into Bruce Banner.

As Tony watched in astonishment, a terrified Peter ran to him. Tony quickly flew the boy up to his penthouse, where he shed the Hulkbuster suit. He held Peter for an instant before saying "Suit up!"

The other Avengers came up to the launchpad. Hulk along with them, now with his mind in control.

"Jarvis, report on the explosion," Steve said.

"I cannot trace the source, Captain," Jarvis answered. The superheroes looked at each other as Spider-man joined them, still shaking. Natasha put an arm around him.

"What did we lose?" Tony asked the AI.

"Structural damage to the wall, sir. Nothing more." Jarvis said in a level tone

"An undetectable explosive, just powerful enough to blow out a wall?" Clint spoke out loud what the others were thinking. It had been carefully planned. Unleashing the Hulk could cause more damage to the Avengers than just about anything else.

"Jarvis, what is the chemical signature - " Tony asked, but was interrupted by a flash of lightning.

"My friends, I am afraid the attack is not of Midgardian origin," he said.

"Loki again?" Steve said, his face hard. "He knows to target Bruce's laboratory."

"I do not know whether it was my brother's doing. But I found the portal and closed it and Helmdall is keeping a lookout. I will have to stay and find out more but for now, you are safe." Thor said, and the Avengers breathed a sigh of relief. The group went to their lounge, all of them still tense, while Natasha gave Hulk her lullaby. Tony touched Peter's shoulder, and the boy clung to him in spite of being in the suit, and with people around them. Steve sat next to Peter, stroking his hair gently.

"Peter, I'm sorry," Bruce said. "I'm glad that nothing happened." Peter looked up and nodded. Bruce had his arms wrapped around himself.

"Peter, do you remember why the other guy turned back to Bruce?" Tony asked.

"He changed before you reached him?" Steve asked in surprise.

"Yes. One moment, Peter was on the other guy's back struggling not to get thrown, the next, the other guy turned back to Bruce and Peter was running to me."

"I asked you why you were green," Peter said to Bruce, and the Avengers looked at him in surprise. "I was scared, and you know how I just blabber whatever's in my head when I freak out? So I thought your skin is green, it's usually white - do you absorb energy from the other frequencies and convert them to mass when you transform? I asked you that, and you changed back." Peter spoke very fast, then leaned back on Tony again. The Avengers were silent for an instant, and then Clint burst out laughing.

"A science question? That's simpler than a lullaby. But not for you, Nat!" he said and was promptly clouted on the head. He grabbed her arm, and they started to scuffle. Natasha and Clint grappled after every battle, so the others barely paid attention.

"We worked on Veronica for how long? Three months?" Tony asked Bruce, who had his head buried in his arms. "And we never even thought of -"

"Remember the time we worked out the lullaby? Sensory neurons firing? Auditory patterns?" Bruce asked, raising his head. Tony began to laugh. "You! Come over here!" Bruce said to Peter. For the first time ever, Bruce pulled Peter into his lap and a full hug. When he released Peter a moment later, Wanda and Pietro started talking to Peter at the same time. Bruce and Tony started talking to each other over the din. Somehow, Thor and Clint were on the ground grappling. Steve and Natasha rolled their eyes, caught each other's eye roll and started laughing.

"You deserve a reward, pet. What do you want?" Steve asked once the room was silent again.

"Can you throw me off the tower?" Peter asked.


	11. Chapter 11

Captain America dangled Spider-man over the edge of the landing pad. Steve had insisted that they all suit up. The people around Avengers tower (or rather all of New York) were used to superheroes jumping around. If he threw Peter down in civilian clothes it might end up in the tabloids as abuse. A moment later, he let go and Spider-man fell straight down like a rock, screaming "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!", for a few seconds before Iron Man gripped him round the waist slowing his fall, then held him close and flew up to the landing pad, literally throwing him back to Captain America.

"Cap, that was-" Peter started.

"Awesome?" Steve asked in a dry voice and threw him off the tower again. This time, Wanda slowed him down to the ground, and Tony flew him back up and dropped him on the landing pad.

Peter rolled out of his fall neatly. He laughed out loud, and Steve picked him up again. This was a good idea, even if it had started with what he had shouted at Peter. He held Peter by the armpits, letting him fall an inch and catching him, like testing out a football. Peter was excited, laughing, and delightfully light. Steve suddenly had an idea and threw Peter up instead of down, shouting "Catch, Stark!" Tony was quick, easily picking Peter from the air.

Tony prepared to throw Peter to Steve, but signaled Thor, and threw Peter to him. Peter screamed at being tossed into what seemed like empty air till he was caught and tossed back to Steve. Bruce, who had been watching, said "That's a code green." and stepped inside for a moment. The Hulk came out, saying "Hulk join game."

Peter shivered in Steve's arms. "It's Bruce, pet. He's in his own mind." Steve said. "Do you want to?" Peter nodded and closed his eyes, and a moment later was caught by a single large green hand. He was lifted up to a huge green face, a finger stroked his spine and then he was thrown to Tony, very gently. Peter still felt a little queasy when Tony caught him. "Enough, please." Peter said to Tony, and was lowered to the landing pad straight into Steve's arms. Bruce was at his side quickly, in a large robe. "Where did that robe come from?" Peter wondered.

"I think we've found a new pastime." Tony landed next to Pietro. "Want to give it a try, roadrunner?"

"What do you say, Pietro? Want a turn?" Steve asked. "Wanda's keeping a lookout, remember?"

Pietro nodded a little warily. Peter moved to stand next to Bruce, and Steve picked up Pietro and dropped him off the tower. Pietro screamed, but It wasn't that scary, given the speeds he usually moved at. Soon Iron man caught him around the waist, in a strong, secure grip and he was deposited on the landing pad.

Time to make this interesting, Pietro thought. He walked over to one end of the pad, and without warning, Pietro sprinted off the landing pad, straight down to where Wanda stood. Again, Tony caught him before Wanda needed to slow him down. Pietro got swatted by Clint the moment he landed, however.

"There's one more kid we need to chuck off," Tony said, bringing Wanda up. Peter went down to the ground, ready with his webshooters, and Steve dropped Wanda off the edge.

Wanda, however, slowed herself down before she was caught, and flew back up to the tower, landing gracefully on one knee with one hand on the ground. The adults applauded. Peter stuck out his tongue.

"Act your age!" Tony said, swatting him.

"Owww!" Peter yelled.

"I retracted the gauntlet, drama queen!" Tony swatted the back of his head now.

"Tony, you still have your armor on. The force-" Steve started and Tony stuck out his tongue. Bruce laughed, and Steve glared.

"He gets away with everything." "Not fair, Cap." "And we get swatted for everything." The teens started off together.

Natasha smacked the back of Tony's head. "There. He's been smacked."

"Ow!" Tony said. Natasha's hand to the back of one's head was no joke.

"*Cough* Drama Queen *Cough*" Clint said.

The Avengers went in, a little worried from the events of the day, but mostly relaxed.

After dinner was over Wanda went to Steve's suite. This was the time he attended to paperwork in his office. She knocked on the door and entered. Steve's private office was Spartan, furnished in a mostly 40's style. Sitting behind the desk, Steve looked imposing, especially if he was thoughtful. Like he was the moment Wanda came in.

"Wanda?" Steve asked in surprise. "Come sit down. What is it?" He noticed the slight stiffness. The teens did not like his office as a rule. Sometimes he used it to his advantage by calling them in to be lectured.

"Cap, it's Pietro." Wanda asked, standing in front of his desk. This felt too much like a principal's office, she thought. And she felt like she was snitching.

"What about him?" Steve asked, now smiling gently.

"He's scared about school. About Math." Wanda waved her hand.

"With good reason. We have a lot of work to do there, looking at that that diagnostic test you two did." Steve smiled. "I'll take care of it."

"Cap, I mean, he's terrified. He's having nightmares. And I see his nightmares, and they're horrible." Wanda finally blurted it out.

Steve moved around the desk and leaned on it next to Wanda. "How bad?"

Peter tiptoed his way into the lounge. He was late for an Avengers meeting by 20 minutes because he had bypassed Jarvis again. By the somber faces and Cap's military stance, it was a very serious meeting indeed. Steve gave him a death glare, turning from the holographic screen he was working on. "Thanks for finding the time to join us, Peter," Tony said, and Peter flushed.

"I'm sorry. It was just-" Steve raised a hand motioning him to be quiet. Peter sat down.

"Any other ideas on why the aliens needed that particular substance?" Steve asked.

"Maybe it behaves differently on their planet? Maybe they can weaponize it?" Pietro said. Peter blinked. What substance?

"There's a vial of solvent missing from my lab, Peter." Bruce answered his unspoken question. "It was on the shelf right behind where you were standing."

Ohhhhhhhh, Peter thought. He was in trouble, and big trouble. "Um, Cap?" he said. Steve turned to him. He wasn't glaring now, but not smiling either. "I, sort of, put that vial in my pocket, yesterday."

There were eye-rolls all around. Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know we've been breaking our heads for god knows how long over that? Why did you take it?" he snapped at Peter.

"It was - it was-for-for-" Peter stammered, and Steve moved to stand in front of him. Or rather, tower over him. Eeks. Don't blurt out what you're thinking, think of something else, something else, Peter said to himself, as Steve growled, "For what?"

"To play a prank on ." Peter blurted out. Steve motioned the screen away and sat down on the couch opposite.

"To play a prank, you stole a vial from Bruce?" Steve asked in a level voice. Peter felt like melting into a puddle or maybe, bursting into tears.

"I didn't steal it. I would have told him before I left the lab. I usually do." Peter said.

"That's true. He does borrow stuff from the lab. Yesterday we sort of got busy with other things." Bruce supplied.

"The meeting is adjourned." Steve said. "Tony, Peter, stay back here."

"But I was in on the prank too. It wasn't only Peter." Pietro said, jumping up. "Ohhhh" Peter sank his head into his hands.

Peter looked at Pietro as they were marched down to the room set aside for discipline. Steve and Clint had a firm hold on their ears.

"Stupid!" Pietro said through his teeth.

"I'm stupid? Who asked you to confess?" Peter hissed.

"What then, let you take the rap?" Pietro asked in a stage whisper. Clint turned away to hide his grin.

"I have superpowers!" Peter whispered back. It was Steve's turn to look away now.

"So do I!" Pietro snapped.

"I'm stronger." Peter didn't bother to whisper.

"I'm older!" Pietro shouted.

The two men looked at each other, fighting back chuckles.

"Shut up" Clint snapped at the boys. as they walked into the room. There were three recliners in the room. Clint and Steve sat in two of them and called the boys to them.

"Clint, not in front of each other, please." Pietro pleaded.

"You got into trouble together, didn't you?" Clint patted his lap. A short blur and Pietro was over his lap, bare-bottomed. Peter stared at him, then caught himself and averted his gaze. He looked at Steve, who patted his lap as well, and quickly lowered his pants and laid down over his lap. Steve was surprised - this was much faster than it usually went. Peter didn't want to appear weak, did he? Steve started working Peter's underpants down and was surprised to see that Peter was wearing his Spider suit under his normal clothes.

"Peter?" Steve asked.

"I thought I'd better be prepared, Cap. After yesterday." Peter said in a flat voice. "The suit has some armor built in and is weaponized too." Steve pursed his lips. This was something to be discussed, very soon. Probably right after they were done here. He quickly bared the boy's bottom, eliciting a little shiver. Steve rested his hand on Peter's bottom.

"Clint, can you turn the recliner so that the boys face each other?" Steve asked, turning his. The boys came into each other's view and groaned.

"Boys, why are we here?" Clint asked, and the boys groaned again.

"We didn't even do anything!" Peter whined. Both men landed a spank, and the boys yelped.

"For taking a vial from Dr. Banner, and planning a prank on Mr. Stark," Peter said, and closed his eyes in anticipation. Steve landed three spanks, and they echoed around the room. For Peter, this was just the starting level, but Pietro winced and Clint stared.

"Cap, that was awfully hard!" Clint said, still staring.

"He can take it." Steve said and Peter whimpered. Without warning, Clint started spanking Pietro. Pietro yelped at each smack making Peter close his eyes and clamp his hands over his ears. Steve soon provided a distraction though, making Peter yelp as well. The two boys squirmed and kicked.

"Pranks with dangerous chemicals are not funny," Steve said.

"It's wrong to plot against one of our team" Clint added.

The spanking was quick and hard, and the scolding from two disappointed voices, along with smacks and yelps, was too much for the boys to take. Very soon, before Steve started his searing hot spanks or Clint picked up the hairbrush, the boys were crying. Steve eased back, and saw that Clint was doing the same.

"Pietro shouldn't be in trouble." Peter yelled suddenly, raising himself up and almost throwing off Steve's arm across his back.

The boy was strong enough to throw him if he wanted to, Steve reminded himself. He could spank Peter only because of the trust the child had in him. He stopped spanking, and said "Peter, head down."

"But Cap - he didn't even touch the vial. And playing pranks, we do it all the time." Peter spoke in sobs. Clint stopped too, giving Pietro a respite.

"And Clint, you heard Dr. Banner. Peter takes vials from his lab all the time. And we wouldn't have done anything harmful. Peter knows enough science for that." Pietro raised his head now.

"A blender blew up on Mr. Stark once and none of *us* had anything to do with it. No one got punished." Peter pointed out, and Clint squirmed. That blender incident was never going to go away. Did Steve know about it?

"The kids have a point, Clint," Steve said, rubbing Peter's back.

"Yes they do, and they've already been punished - a bit," Clint agreed, rubbing Pietro's back

"A bit?" Pietro asked, and Peter hissed. "Shut up!"

"Well, I think we're done here," Clint said. Pietro jumped up and was on his lap fully dressed in an instant, knocking Clint back into the recliner. "Ouch." Clint grunted, pulling himself up. That was a hard knock! "Get back over, punk. Unless you don't want lotion. Another blur, another grunt, and Pietro was back over Clint's lap.

So it's all trust there too, thought Steve. All three teens were powerful! He pulled Peter up into his lap, and Peter took big, hitching breaths. Steve watched as Clint reached behind the recliner for a big lotion bottle and rub lotion on Pietro's bottom. After a minute, Pietro's sobs quieted fully and Clint raised the boy up to sit on his lap. Pietro snuggled in, his head on Clint's shoulder. That was new, Steve thought. He lifted Peter, laid him over his lap again, and pulled down his pants.

"Cap!" Peter protested though he didn't resist the movement.

"Quiet, spiderling. The lotion Clint is using seems interesting." Steve caught the bottle that Clint threw over. He squeezed a generous amount of lotion onto his palm and worked it into Peter's bottom. The lotion felt cool on Steve's hand, and Peter was relaxing on his lap. Steve pulled his pants further down to spread the lotion and stopped. There was a big, dark bruise on the back of Peter's thigh.

"What is this, Peter?" Steve asked.

"I got hit by something yesterday Cap, during the explosion." Peter said. Was he in trouble again?

"And you didn't think of telling anybody?" Steve prodded the bruise and Peter groaned.

"I thought it would heal, Cap. It's hurting, but not much." Peter said, and Steve rubbed his back thoughtfully.

"Clint?" Steve called out. "How does this look?" He turned Peter to the side to let Clint see the bruise, pulling down the boy's shirt to cover his bottom. "Oh yeah, cover me up now." Peter thought.

"Like a really hard hit about a day back." Clint answered. It was correct. Peter had been hit a day back.

"I agree, but for this little hooligan it should have healed in a matter of hours." Steve said, rubbing the lotion on the bruise as well. "You remember what hit you, pet?"

"A bit of rock or something. From whatever exploded, I think. Dr. Banner was hit badly, and I was standing behind him." Peter said with a shiver. "There was blood all over, then he turned green, and-"

"Nothing happened, pet. Remember?" Steve said, and pulled Peter up. He held the boy till he stopped shaking, and asked "Clint, want to swap?"

"Swap?" Peter asked.

"You both heard us spanking your partner-in-crime, and got scolded by both of us. It's only fair that you get two cuddles," Steve walked over to the other recliner, lowered Peter into Clint's arms and picked up Pietro. Peter squirmed a little.

Clint wrapped his arms around him and kissed his forehead. "You were so brave," he whispered in Peter's ear, and Peter began to relax.

Pietro had been held by Steve before, but not cuddled on his lap like this. "Such big dark circles, pet?" Steve asked, kissing his hair. "Having nightmares, hmm?" Pietro trembled and snuggled in. How did Cap know about the nightmares? After the first, he had shut Jarvis down each night! The warmth, the fatigue from the sleepless nights, and the spanking caught up to him, and Pietro drifted off on Steve's shoulder.

"I'll put him in bed." Clint walked over to Steve and helped Pietro up, half carrying him out the door. Steve picked Peter up. "Let's go see Bruce now. See what he thinks."

"Cap, put me down." Peter squirmed.

"You're injured!" Steve said, stepping into the elevator.

Peter lay on his stomach in the medical bay, pants down but with sheets covering him exposing only the bruise. Steve stood by his side while Bruce examined the bruise, holding up a scanner.

"It's at the normal healing stage, given the impact and the time that has passed, Peter. I think whatever hit you is something you're vulnerable to, something that resists your healing powers." Bruce said.

"Any idea what it was?" Steve asked. Bruce had barely left the laboratory after the previous day's incident, and he had to have some results available by now.

"It caused a lot of damage." Bruce said. "From what I remember of the pain? I think my ribs cracked and my lungs lacerated." He looked straight at Steve "I'm running the debris through a scanner, and we'll soon know what it was. We should ask Tony to reinforce your armor against it, Peter."

"Where is Tony, anyway?" Steve asked. He had asked Jarvis to summon Tony right in the elevator. Bruce shrugged as he rubbed an ointment into the bruise.

Thor came into the medical bay then. "I heard the little spider was injured!" he boomed. Peter had his pants pulled up and was about to step off the examination table. "I shall take you to your chambers, Peter." Thor said.

"Wait a second." Bruce said, and reached out and picked up a bit of debris. "Is this from Asgard?"

"It very much is, my friend. It is the Uru metal, which my Mjolnir is made of!" Thor said. Steve reached out to look at the piece. "Uru metal, isn't that -"

"AVENGERS, ASSEMBLE!" Jarvis called over the Intercom, startling all of them into action. "THE PENTHOUSE" Jarvis said, and Peter quickly stripped his outer clothes off and jumped out the window, climbing up. Steve ran to the elevator, calling for the Iron Legion to bring him his shield. Within minutes, the Avengers stood in the penthouse, armed and ready.

"Jarvis?" Steve asked.

"Mr. Stark is in the last room in the left corridor. I am banned from the room, Captain. But he has been in distress for ten minutes now, and he still hasn't called for me," Jarvis said. The team ran down the corridor. Peter reached it first, and threw himself on it to no avail. Thor then swung Mjolnir onto the lock, and the doors swung wide open. Thor stepped into the doorway, blocking the team's view of what lay ahead.

Lightning and thunder struck the tower and the ground shook. Because the God of Thunder was laughing uncontrollably.


	12. Chapter 12

The Avengers were helpless. This was beyond the Chitauri or the army of Ultrons. None of them had the ability to stand on their own feet or even speak and were slumped around the room. Some had fallen alone, while some, like Clint and Natasha, had collapsed onto each other.

"Avengers, stop laughing, please! Mr. Stark is trapped!" Jarvis pleaded.

Steve took a deep breath, got up, and approached Tony. The genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist was bare bottomed over his own armor's lap, firmly clamped down by the armor's arm and leg. And there was no mistaking what the armor had been doing, for its hand was hovering near his bottom, and said bottom was a bright red.

Steve pulled at the armor's arm, but it didn't budge. "Team, this is frozen solid. We need some strategy!" Steve called out, and the others looked up.

"Cap, I'll try pulling it off!" "That suit is not stronger than my mighty Mjolnir!" Peter and Thor both started towards Tony.

"No! Stop right there!" Tony wiggled, trying to turn around. "I want the armor intact. I have to figure out what happened."

"Oh, for God's sake, Stark! You can't study broken pieces?" Clint said as Natasha gave him a hand up.

"My armor isn't a polycarbon stick with a rubber band pulled over it, Robin Hood!" Tony snapped. From his position, the snarking was just funny. Peter laughed and slapped Pietro on the back, sending him flying straight into Bruce, who hit the wall.

"What's Integral ArcSin(x), Dr. Banner? What is the volume of the 100th iteration of the Koch cube?" Peter rattled out in a panicked voice, while Clint and Natasha clutched their heads.

"I'm fine! And reciting facts is not enough." Bruce dusted himself off.

"Well, this is all very interesting." Steve said, avoiding looking at Tony. A distraction came, though, in the form of footsteps, and Steve turned around.

"Cap, what happened? Jarvis-" War Machine stood in the doorway. Steve moved, and he looked at Tony, laughed and overbalanced. As he went down, the Avengers heard a panicked female voice. "Rhodey, are you all right? Where's Tony?"

"Jarvis, you stupid AI." Tony snapped just as Pepper ran in.

"What...?" Pepper shouted, and the Avengers started chuckling again.

"Tony, what were you trying to do?" Pepper had her hands on her hips. "And what are you lot doing, standing around? Get him out of there!"

"We cannot break the armor." Thor shrugged.

"We can see your butt, Tony! All of us!" Pepper shouted.

"Well, it's not like you can unsee it if you break the armor."

"Not for the rest of our lives." Wanda quipped and Pietro and Peter started giggling, then roaring. Steve bit his cheek.

"You're a brat, Tony!" Rhodey stepped out of the armor. "One of us should finish what the suit started."

"If it's Pepper or Nat, I'm game." Tony smirked, and Pepper and Natasha rolled their eyes.

"Go down, you three." Steve said quickly to the teens. "Very quick response to the alarm, perfect defensive maneuvers. But now, you're dismissed."

"We're adults!" Pietro said and Wanda nodded. "Peter's the only kid." "But Cap, I understand what Mr. Stark said. I've read Fifty Shades of Grey." Peter said. There were eye rolls all around.

"Down, now!" Steve barked, and the teens walked off slowly.

"You're not going to tell them to 'move it'?" Tony asked Steve.

"No, I'm not." Steve said, grinning.

"When the kid got stuck like this, nobody laughed." Tony threw up his arms - or as much as he could.

"Wasn't his fault." Clint shrugged. He marched out of the room.

"It's not my fault either." Tony was now pouting.

"You know what the Buddha would have called you, Tony? Desire!" Bruce asked, stepping up.

"Desire?" Thor asked.

"The root cause of all evil."

Clint came back, carrying a cooler. "Since we're going to be here for a while.." he said, passing around bottles of beer. "Jarvis, get some bean bags in here." Natasha called out, and within minutes, the Iron legion brought them in.

"What are we supposed to do?" Rhodey asked.

"Think of ways to get him out." Steve said dryly, dropping into a bean bag.

None of their ideas worked, however, till Clint asked "What happens when he needs to..." And almost on cue, the armor moved.

"Abort!" Tony yelled, but the armor only tipped him forward. It spanked him six times rapidly before it released him. The Avengers watched, fascinated and horrified as Tony's pants were pulled up over a very red bottom.

"Punishment complete. Take care not to repeat your mistake." The suit said, and the Avengers laughed again.

Peter was stuck to the ceiling of the floor right below, listening carefully.

"It's spanking him. Again." He told the twins. "It stopped and it's scolding him."

"I bet Mr. Stark is going to keep rubbing his butt the way you guys do." Wanda smirked. The boys threw her a dirty look, but then looked at each other.

"We can't be caught here." Pietro picked up Wanda and ran down, while Peter jumped out the nearest window. The teens reached the lounge a minute before the adults came down.

It was a very relaxed group of superheroes who entered the lounge. Tony was pouting a little, and as Wanda predicted, he was trying to "ease his discomfort."

"I proved Mr. Righteous wrong." Tony rubbed his bottom surreptitiously. Or so he thought.

"What?" Steve raised an eyebrow.

"You said making a suit that can spank was impossible!" Tony chortled, making the others groan.

"You told him it was impossible?" Pepper clouted Steve in the head, hard. "I told you not to."

"Ouch." Steve rubbed his head. "I told him before you told me that."

"You made that super-serumed head hurt? Nice going Pep! I bet my CEO can kick your ass, Steve! I know I have good taste in women!" Tony tried to pat Pepper's head, and was glared down.

"Every woman I've ever loved has been able to do that. And I mean loved in every sense of the word, including this titbit." Steve kissed Wanda's head. "And if we're judging our taste in women by their ability to take strong men down, my lady knocked a tooth out of a Stark's mouth with a single punch."

"Ohhh!" The Avengers chorused. Steve had never returned one of Tony's "burns" before.

"You have no proof!" Tony crossed his arms.

"Upper right incisor." Steve crossed his arms.

"He said it was a war injury!" Tony dropped his arms, sneaking in another rub.

"Yes, in Nazi Germany, after he said his sparring partner punched like a woman!"

"Why was he boxing in a war zone?" This was Peter.

"Dude, you can't just keep fighting all day" Pietro said, "And thinking about the death around you all the time!" Wanda added. They were rewarded with a slap on the back from Clint and a hug from Steve.

"That's exactly why, Peter. You know, even the howling commandos had a full sized prank war going on." Steve said. "Howard and Peggy were in on it too. Once your dad was working on a plane's engine, and they cut off his suspenders. He didn't even notice, and then he stepped away from the plane and-" Steve broke off as Tony scowled. "You know you really do look like your dad?" Steve finished and the room roared.

"Who won?" Wanda asked.

"We stopped.. After Bucky." Steve said, his face once more taking on a serious expression.

"You know what? Let's finish it." Tony said, his face lighting up. If soldiers get to play pranks, so do we, we've saved the whole damn Earth a few times!"

"I'm in," Clint said immediately. The teens were nodding vehemently. One by one, the Avengers agreed.

"Nothing harmful, no hurtful words, no messing with anything we need for battle." Steve said, and everyone nodded. This was going to be fun!

Dinner that night was more fun than it had been in a while, mainly at Tony's expense, and after dinner, Steve stopped Peter before he went to the penthouse.

"Peter, hug Tony. Under any pretext." Steve whispered, and Peter chuckled. "Don't laugh, spiderling. The man needs some comfort. Just act like you do when you're in my suite, pet. Nothing more."

"He won't act like you." Peter said warily. He never acted the way he did in Steve's suite.

"Tony has a sore bottom, child. He has to be cuddled, doesn't he?"

Peter nodded as he stepped into the elevator, walking out into the penthouse. It was palatial, luxurious even compared to the supremely appointed Avengers quarters. Tony's bedroom and private bath were off limits to everyone, including Pepper, and had a separate elevator leading to it.

"Mr. Stark?" Peter called. Tony was in his private bar, and he waved Peter over. "Come over here, Tarantula. No drinking though, unless it's water."

Peter walked up to him and without warning, grabbed him in a bear hug. "Wha-?" Tony said, but hugged the boy back.

"What's the matter, spider? You OK?" He asked, and Peter just snuggled into him, saying "Simply!"

"Simply? Very well." Tony gave Peter another very quick hug. "Are you going to bed?"

"Not right away, I'm going to read for a while." Peter pulled away.

"Bring the book to the library. I have some reading to do, too." Tony said, downing his drink.

Peter went to his "room" - a three room affair accessed by a main door, and picked up his book. When he reached the library Tony was already there, settled into a large couch. He motioned Peter to the other end of the couch, kicked a footstool towards him, and said. "Jarvis, Peter is going to read."

To Peter's surprise, the lights shifted till his page was illuminated perfectly. He settled in and wondered. What would he do if Cap was sitting there? How would Mr. Stark react to that? Anyway, Cap was the only one who could spank him, and Peter had his blessing.

Peter moved to lean against Tony. "What are you up to, kid?" Tony asked, but not angrily. "You craving cuddles? You're spending too much time with that oversized, thawed out, teddy bear." He wrapped an arm around Peter, and the boy snuggled in.

Steve was sketching in his room, his mind going back to Tony - and Howard. Was a hug from Peter enough? After checking to see that it was past Peter's bedtime, Steve went into the penthouse. Tony had goggles on, and was standing at the bar mixing something. Steve walked up to him.

"Hey Capsicle! Came to spy?" Tony asked. "I'm not bothered, because what I'm doing is too much for your caveman brain."

"Actually, I came for something else." Steve pulled Tony into a loose hug. Tony recoiled in surprise. What was it with everyone?

"What? Hey, I might have been bi-curious but I'm straight, all right? Leave me alone, now!" Tony struggled but Steve's hold was firm.

"No, silly. A hug always comes after a spanking." Steve did not pull Tony closer. That had to happen on Tony's terms.

"You might have noticed I'm not a kid." Tony looked Steve right in the eye.

"You're the kid I neglected while I was frozen." Steve looked straight back. "You think I don't regret it? Tony, I might have married, had kids, died happily in a bed - all those are might-have-beens. You, on the other hand? You're someone I know I could have helped."

"What now? The poor little rich boy got spanked and needs sympathy?" Tony had stopped pulling away from Steve.

"No, I think the man who should have been named Anthony Stephen Stark is hurting and needs a hug." Steve's gaze didn't waver.

Tony stepped a little towards Steve, and Steve held him close. Barely a second later, Tony pulled away and Steve let him.

"Don't tell-" Tony said.

"Not a word." Steve promised. "Check Jarvis' footage though. He's sneaky."

Pietro cowered in a corner, eyes closed, his arms shielding his head and body. Cap was hitting him with an arrow shaft, over and over. Suddenly he dropped the arrow shaft and tightly gripped Pietro's arms. Pietro was immobile, and Cap yelled "Wake up, wake up, pet." Wake up? Wake up from what? Pietro opened his eyes.

He was sitting in his room, held tight in Cap's arms. "It's OK, Pietro. It wasn't real." He whispered. Not again, Pietro thought. But how? Without Jarvis? Had he yelled that loudly?

"Why didn't you tell anyone about this, lightning?" Pietro flushed. Clint was here?

"Jarvis, just a little light, please." Steve said, and the dark room was illuminated slightly. Just enough for Pietro to see Steve and Clint sitting on his bed. And the wild disarray of his sheets.

"Pietro, tell us what's happening, pet?" Steve's voice was gentle. "We'll try to fix it? As much as we can?" He ran his hand through the boy's sweat drenched hair.

"What are we doing in your dream, Whitey? You keep yelling for it to stop" Clint asked.

"No, Clint. I'm OK," Pietro said, trying to lie back down.

"Pet, someone else sees your nightmares, remember?" Steve asked, and Pietro clutched his head. How could he have forgotten? Poor Wanda!

"Now, child, you're going to tell is exactly what's going on. Are you scared of Math?" Pietro stared at Clint. "I'm terrible at it," he whispered.

"All right, that's not something that should scare you, pet!" Steve rubbed his back. "Did something happen back in Sokovia?"

"Come on, lightning," Clint now stroked his hair..

"I and Wanda were put in separate foster homes once." Pietro started. This was something he'd never wanted to tell anyone. "She always helped me in school. Without her everything was difficult, matamatika was not possible at all."

Half an hour later, after sitting on both laps, several bouts of heavy sobbing, and a trip to the bathroom to throw up, Pietro was curled up into a ball, whimpering. The two Avengers' eyes met. They were both seething with anger. How could a teacher and foster parent abuse a boy to this point? Steve picked him up.

"Cap..?" Pietro asked.

"You're sleeping in Clint's room for a few days, pet. Just till we can sort things out." Steve held him close to his chest.

"No Cap I might udar - I mean I might kick." Pietro stammered, and Clint nodded agreement.

"All right then." Steve carried Pietro, now fast asleep, to his own bedroom instead. He lowered the boy on the bed before dragging a large chaise lounge in from the living room. He would get another bed in later. He settled Pietro in the chaise lounge, covered him with a duvet and stroked the boy's head. How hard would it be to find that teacher and foster father? Pietro had another nightmare a few hours later, but Steve put an end to it almost as soon as it started.

The next morning, Clint and Steve sat at breakfast. Pietro was still asleep, under Jarvis' supervision. "I want to find them, Steve, and strangle them." Clint said, echoing Steve's thoughts. "Who knows what they are doing now? Are they still in charge of children?

"But how do we even start, Clint? You know I've been searching for Bucky for two years now." Steve took a sip of coffee.

"Are you searching for someone, my friends? I may be able to aid your quest." Thor, who had just walked in, sat down across from Steve.


	13. Chapter 13

Peter stepped out of his room, adjusting a new gauntlet round his wrist. He was late for breakfast, which probably meant a scolding, but today was going to be fun nevertheless. A prank war among the mightiest and arguably the most creative people he knew. He was still thinking up valid excuses for turning up late - his actual reason, that he had been browsing idly till 3 AM would not work, especially when the person doing the scolding had lived through the great depression. Studied all night? Had a new idea for the project which would not work in reality? he was still thinking when he heard a gasp. He looked up to see a woman clad only in a towel, staring at him. Peter froze for a second, and barely remembered to keep his feet on the ground when he ran back and slammed the door shut.

"Peter, you may come out now." Jarvis announced after a few minutes.

"Are you sure? Mr. Stark might need to take another look around the penthouse. Maybe check for stragglers?" Peter mumbled, but he came out anyway, careful to keep his gauntlets covered. Oh, he was going to talk to Mr. Stark today, hopefully when Cap was around. And good thing too - it would be a diversion.

He went down to the lounge, which bore the signs of the war having started already. A couch had been upturned, Pietro was sulking, Natasha was smirking, and a cleaning bot was hard at work. It seemed to be mopping up something green and sticky. Peter looked again, and saw that the green stuff was on Pietro's shoes. He stepped into the kitchen, chuckling. To his surprise, Steve was carrying a breadbasket to the toaster. It was at least an hour past Captain America's usual breakfast time! But Steve just smiled at Peter. "Morning, Cap!" Peter said, and Steve ruffled his hair.

"Good morning Spidey!" he said, putting a slice of bread in the toaster. Peter was wondering whether to mention the woman would count as snitching when the toaster shook a little.

Peter pushed Steve out of the way the next instant, sending him flying. Peter himself sprang to a corner of the ceiling as the toaster seemed to explode, spewing bright red glitter across the ceiling, the kitchen counter and table and the floor. Steve crashed into the wall separating the kitchen and the lounge, landing partly inside the lounge. There was a hole in the wall, glitter all over, and the Avengers rushed to Steve's aid. Peter froze, wide-eyed and speechless.

"Hello, Wile-E-Coyote" Tony greeted Steve while looking at the damage. He was right. The hole was roughly Steve-shaped.

"All thanks to Spider-man!" Steve said, painfully getting up and looking at Peter. "Don't sit there gaping, Peter. It's OK, you reacted exactly as you should. But how strong are you, really?" He rubbed his back. No one had thrown him like that, not even before the serum. And the serum was probably the reason he was still alive.

"I am most happy, Peter! You are making excellent progress if you can throw your trainer with such force. Are you practising holds and throws in secret?" Thor asked, his voice reverberating around the room as usual, but this time making a bit of wood from the hole shake.

"No, he usually holds back." Steve answered. "He is stronger than any of us, other than maybe Bruce."

Thor frowned at Steve. "You must be aware that It is not enough for a warrior to be trained by those weaker than him. You should have asked me to train him as soon as the young warrior was brought here" Thor said. "We will train today, Peter Parker." he said to Peter, who nodded back. Steve nodded too, rolling his eyes at the same time. First he gets thrown into a wall, then scolded by Thor. This was a nice way to start a day.

"What's the matter, Tarantula? Cat got your tongue?" Tony looked up at Peter, sipped his coffee and began to gag. "What the hell did you people-" he poured the coffee into the sink, when Peter finally spoke.

"Well, this is the second time I've frozen today, Mr. Stark!" Peter shouted from the ceiling, "The first time was because you left the lounge entrance to your suite open." Clint and Natasha snickered, and Steve gave Tony a look. Wanda looked curious, and Pietro finally flashed in, barefoot.

"Well, let's get back to whatever we were doing." Steve said. He would get Tony and Peter into his office later. He opened the microwave and was immediately covered by another stream of glitter. Steve slowly blinked. His front was covered entirely with bright red glitter. "Whose idea was it to hide the glitter this well? A huge amount and I couldn't see it at all!"

"Well, some of us have working brains!" Tony chortled and Natasha slapped the back of his head. Steve bit back a laugh. Kindergarten logic worked on his team like a charm.

"Does anything work properly in this place?" Steve asked. "The griddle works," Natasha said. "How come you're late to breakfast?" Peter listened carefully. He wanted the answer to the question too.

"Just decided to sleep in," Steve said, smiling mildly. He stepped up to the griddle, but his foot caught on something. He recovered his balance at the last moment, but another stream of glitter shot up, covering his back as well.

"Cap, if you don't do any pranking you'll always be on the receiving end!" Peter shouted. Steve shrugged, scattering glitter. Peter bit back a laugh.

"Come here and eat something. I want to meet you and Tony after your training with Thor." Steve's tone was serious, and Peter jumped down. He didn't want a serious discussion, not as serious as Cap seemed to be hinting at. He ate quickly, carefully not looking at Steve who looked like a glittery post box. Thor crooked his finger at him almost immediately after he finished. Peter felt forlorn as he followed Thor. Not a single prank? Really?

Two hours later, Peter walked painfully into Tony's workshop. Thor was right, training while holding back did not help when the opponent was stronger. But did he really have to push Peter that hard on the first day? It was like every muscle in his body was protesting when he took a step.

Tony was working on the Uru metal pellets. They had been ground up into nano-particles, and embedded in fabric. Tony had adjusted the magnetic properties of the metal, and in tests, the metal had absorbed the impact of other Uru metal objects.

"Let's check whether the cloth protects you if hit with one of the larger pieces." Tony said, with his back to Peter. "Come and wrap this around your upper arm, Tarantula." He turned with the fabric and looked at Peter. Peter turned around stiffly.

"You look terrible. What did that Asgardian horror do to you?" Tony stepped up to look at Peter closely.

"We just trained - hand to hand, he made me lift some weights - you know..the usual?" Peter answered. There had been a trip down to a field, and the "weights" had gone up to 9 tons, at which point Thor had told Peter to stop. The training, the realization of how strong he was, as well as the exhilaration of travelling Thor-style had left Peter high, but now his adrenaline was down and he was just sore. The boy looked terrible.

"Well, you go down to Bruce right now and get some painkillers." Tony said, gently touching Peter's hair. Peter was leaning into the touch when Steve walked in. That was abnormal, because he never entered Tony's workshop without permission, but mainly because he was still covered in red glitter.

Steve peered down at one of Tony's machines, one with a lot of parts where glitter could get into. "Steve, stay away!" Tony shouted.

"I'm just looking." Steve shrugged, reaching out with a finger to poke at something.

"Go wash off that glitter!" Tony shouted again. Peter giggled. Tony was overprotective about his equipment, and Steve messing with it was too much to take.

"Why should I?" Steve leaned against one of Tony's bots. Tony winced.

"It'll get in everything!" Tony waved his arms about, and Peter covered his mouth to hold back his laughter.

"Well, it's not like I have brains, remember?" Steve put his hands on the workbench, and lifted himself up, as if to sit on it. Peter lost it.

"Well if you don't stop, he's not going to stop!" Tony said, now in a normal voice, pointing at Peter.

Steve looked at Peter, who was doubled over in laughter. He stopped when both Tony and Steve looked at him, and straightened up painfully.

"Oh, pet, Thor put you through hell, did he? Come here!" Steve called with open arms and Peter backed away. Tony chuckled. "What happened today, in the morning?" Steve asked, and Tony stopped. Oh, this discussion was going to end well.

"There was a woman, right in the middle of the penthouse! She was wearing just a towel. And then she gasped at me. As if I decided to walk around someone else's house in a towel!" Peter said, eyes wide.

"Well, these things happen, Peter. I'll make sure that the entrances are locked." Tony said, not looking up from the rubbery fabric in his hand.

"Doesn't Jarvis take care of that?" Steve glared.

"Wash off that glitter before you glare at me!" Tony shouted, and Peter agreed silently. The glitter was disconcerting, to say the least.

"The point stands. Peter's identity was at risk today. And he sometimes goes in from training in his suit with the mask off!" Steve snapped.

"Why do you have to bring those women here anyway?" Peter asked.

"Because they consented to? And I'm a healthy adult with needs you probably should be knowing about, at 15?" Tony answered in an irritated voice.

"Tony!" Steve turned sharply, scattering glitter everywhere. Peter ducked.

"Just stating facts here." Tony shrugged. "Maybe, you know, I need companionship? A girlfriend?"

"Well, Cap doesn't have a girlfriend, Dr. Banner doesn't either, Clint never sees his family, Thor and Dr. Foster probably meet every ten years or something, Natasha doesn't have a boyfriend - Nobody is in a relationship, Mr. Stark, not even Rhodey or Sam! Only you are! With everyone!"

"Way to condemn the whole team, kid! But who's everyone?" Tony asked, rolling his eyes. He was not going to tell Peter about Bruce and Natasha, or even start on Sam and Rhodey.

"Well, you flirted with my aunt." Peter crossed his arms, mimicking Steve when he was angry.

"I did. Flirting is harmless. I would not have a one-night stand with your aunt, Peter!" Tony raised his eyebrows, and Peter's gaze narrowed.

"Peter, you're too angry. Settle down." Steve said.

"I'm not angry!" Peter pouted back.

Tony took a deep breath before speaking again. "All right. I'm sorry you had to go through that in the morning. It will not happen again." he paused. "Now, you want to see how well the Uru metal embedded cloth works?" Tony held up a NERF gun.

"Wait till I get the glitter off." Steve strode towards the elevator, but Tony yelled out, "Wait, Christmas tree! The iron legion may be quicker!"

Steve glared, but walked with Tony to a room adjoining the workshop. A robot from the Iron Legion started going over him with a vacuum.

"His aunt flirted back!" Tony whispered, his hands on his hips.

"Don't tell him that." Steve whispered back.

"I'm not that stupid, Looney Tunes!" Tony said, walking back to the workshop.

Tony took aim with the NERF gun. "There's a thin layer of Uru metal on the bullets, Tarantula. As per my experiments, you shouldn't feel anything. Even otherwise, they're too light to cause any pain." he said, and shot the bullet at Peter's outstretched arm.

"Ow!" Peter said. "I definitely felt that!" Peter shook his arm.

"Let me see, pet." Steve gripped the cloth to take it off, and Peter screamed.

"Pet?" Steve let go, and Tony ran forward as Peter ripped off the cloth. The NERF bullet had left a tiny impression, but Steve's hand was imprinted in an angry red. Peter leaned against Steve, clutching his upper arm.

"The cloth isn't protecting you, it takes your powers away!" Tony looked at the mark. It was already a little lighter.

"Doesn't hurt so much now. The shock made me scream." Peter said, and Steve kissed his head. He had stopped holding back his strength with Peter, and had forgotten how frail the boy was before the spider incident.

"Let's go down to Bruce and get you some painkillers, like Tony was saying." Steve led Peter to the elevator.

A few minutes later, Peter was downing a painkiller, sitting on Bruce's examination table while swinging his legs. Bruce had given him painkillers because of the training - Peter's arm was fine. But still, Steve stroked his hair, saying "Little spider's having a rough day. Let's make it better, pet? Want to do something fun?" Steve was feeling a little guilty and a lot protective, so Peter was getting a hug every two seconds on average. And was loving it.

"Wait a second. If the cloth makes you into a normal teenager, then.." Tony said suddenly.

"Then what?" Bruce asked. The tone meant a Stark Invention was on the way, and it was his job to make sure it didn't destroy the world.

"I think I've found a way to fulfill my duties as a guardian" Tony finished, and Peter threw himself on Steve, with a "Caaaaaap!"

Steve chuckled and lifted Peter off the table, hugging him close. "Just stay out of trouble, pet!"

"Tell him not to do it!" Peter looked up at Steve.

"If he's as careful as he was today, I have no issues with him testing out something. He's your guardian, after all!" Steve stroked Peter's hair yet again, and Peter huffed.

"My day's getting worse by the minute. I'll go to bed and wake up tomorrow." Peter pouted.

"You know, you could always just decide to behave?" Steve was saying when Jarvis spoke up. "Mr. Stark, Captain, there is a new development in Operation Schoolroom!"

Everyone in the room went up the elevator, but Steve touched Peter's arm when he was about to enter the lounge. "You and the twins," he nodded to Wanda and Pietro. "Go to your floor, and stay there till you're called. This meeting is not for you." Peter and Pietro both tried pouting, but Steve's face was set firm. The teens went to their floor, and immediately started thinking of ways to eavesdrop on the meeting.

Jarvis was projecting information on Pietro's Sokovian foster father and schoolmaster. Bruce left the room within the first few minutes. Clint paced the floor, his face livid, and actually punched the hologram when the teacher's face showed up for the first time. Steve had his fists clenched.

"Steve? If you allow it-" Natasha started.

"Is it something that I might allow?" Steve asked, the anger seeping through in his voice.

"No." Natasha answered.

"Then don't tempt me!" Steve snapped, and turned to Tony, who was clenching and unclenching his hands. "What can be done legally?"

The hologram went off. "Captain, I am following protocol. There is motion in the air vents." Jarvis said, indicating the vent with a laser beam.

Steve went over and opened the air vent. He reached in, pulling out Pietro by the ear. "Clint?" he said, leaving Pietro and reaching in again to pull out Peter. Steve swatted Peter hard while Clint did the same to Pietro. The boys stood clutching their bottoms.

"When you're told not to eavesdrop, you don't! And believe me, you don't want to hear what we are talking about!" Steve said, adding "Back to your bedrooms, not the common floor." He hugged the boys, kissing Pietro gently on his hair.

"Where's Wanda?" Clint asked as he also pulled in Pietro for a hug.

"She didn't want to eavesdrop." "She's playing a game." "Yeah, she didn't come with us." "She might be practicing ballet." came the replies from the boys.

Steve walked over to the window, pushed it open and reached out. Soon, he dragged in a squirming Wanda, again by the ear. "Nat?" he asked.

"I'll ask Clint about what was decided, later." Natasha said to Steve, taking in the other adults in her glance. She turned to Wanda. "But you're not supposed to eavesdrop, or float up this high without anyone as backup." She crooked a finger at Wanda. Peter and Pietro left, not making eye contact with anyone, and headed to Peter's bedroom in the penthouse. It was the soundproofed one, and no one would have a problem with that.

"Poor Wanda. Do you think she's getting...?" Peter asked.

"I'm pretty sure she is. And call me whatever you want, I think it's high time!" Pietro fell back on the bean bag he was sitting on, and Peter laughed. A moment later, they started planning out the next prank. It was time they got back at the adults.


	14. Chapter 14

Wanda Maximoff stepped gingerly into the discipline room. She had not thought she would have to come here. She was hugging herself, and Natasha walked her to one of the recliners with a hand on her shoulder. She, unlike Wanda, had anticipated this moment, and had moved the "essentials" into the room a few weeks before.

"Jacket off, and on that hook." Natasha said, and Wanda obeyed. Natasha sat down on the recliner and motioned Wanda over. Wanda obeyed again, but the tips of her hair were levitating a little, showing her distress. Wanda removed her jacket and Natasha noticed a slight problem. Wanda was wearing a tight thigh length dress over equally tight jeans. And the fact that the sleeves were translucent while the torso was not meant there were layers underneath. Baring Wanda's bottom was going to be difficult.

Natasha stood up and put an arm over Wanda's shoulders. "You'll have to get rid of that dress, love." She said, kissing Wanda's forehead when the girl blushed. "I'll step out for a minute. Take it off, and put your jacket back on. Lower your jeans to mid thigh too, they're too tight for me to pull down." Wanda sniffled, unable to meet Natasha's eyes. Natasha raised Wanda's chin to look at her. "If you hate something but have to do it?" she prompted. "Get it over with!" Wanda replied as she had been taught, and nodded quickly. Natasha left the room. Wanda started to undress as quickly as she could.

"Captain Rogers, Agent Barton, Please go to Peter Parker's room immediately!" Jarvis called out in the lounge. Steve and Clint glanced at each other and ran to the elevator.

In Peter's room, Peter was sitting huddled on a bean bag while Pietro flashed around the room. He was talking continuously, though it made no sense when he was moving so fast. Steve moved into Pietro's path and caught him. "What's going on?" he asked the boys.

"He started doing it around two minutes after Nat took Wanda to..." Peter stopped, flushing.

"It's Natasha! She can throw you down to the floor, Cap, and she's strong. Wanda can't take pain, and she's not used to punishment like we are, they've been gone for so long, and she's going to be..." Pietro was vibrating, his hands blurring even though Steve was holding him still.

"Wanda is going to be fine!" Clint stepped up, putting his hands on Pietro's shoulders. "Come on, let's go down to the lounge and wait for her." All four of them moved to the lounge where they sat, Pietro held by Clint and Peter leaning on Steve.

"Hasn't it been an hour?" Pietro asked.

"Seven minutes, dude!" Peter snapped.

"That's a long time." Pietro said, and Clint pulled him in tighter. Poor Natasha, Clint thought, having to hold Wanda each time his lightning got into trouble.

Natasha returned to the discipline room after a few minutes. Wanda was facing the wall, jacket on and jeans around her knees. Natasha sat down, pressed the button to open up the recliner, and called Wanda to her side, taking her hand and gently pulling her over her lap. She rubbed Wanda's back while the recliner did its work, supporting Wanda's legs and torso. Once she was in position, Natasha folded the jacket up Wanda's back, along with the inner layers of her clothing. Then, she put her hands into the hem of Wanda's pantyhose.

"No need to be embarrassed now. Raise your bottom up a little." Natasha patted Wanda's bottom, and Wanda pleaded, "Please? Just this once?"

"It wouldn't be fair to the boys, little Witch." Natasha replied. "Come on!" Wanda raised her hips, and Natasha pulled down the hose to join the girl's jeans. Only to find - a thong.

"Let it be up, please?" Wanda asked. "It's not in the way?"

Natasha paused for a moment before asking, "You'd prefer to leave it up?"

"Yes," Wanda answered hopefully.

"Then it does make a difference, so it's coming down. It's not a bare bottom otherwise." Natasha said as she pulled the string of the thong down to join Wanda's jeans. Wanda closed her eyes.

Natasha took a deep breath, raised her hand, and brought it down sharply on the middle of Wanda's bottom. Wanda clenched her fists, wanting the ordeal to get over. Quick and hard, the spanks fell, warming up her bottom. Wanda began to squirm.

"It's taking too long!" Pietro said. "He's right, Cap!" a voice came from Steve's shoulder, and he glanced at his watch. They still had a while to go.

"Jarvis, load Pictionary" he said. It was usually a lot of fun to play Pictionary with holograms, but today the boys were on edge. The game dragged on, tediously.

As Natasha continued spanking, Wanda bit back yelps. God, the woman was good. Is this what the boys went through? Her bottom was being systematically roasted, just like Natasha did everything else. "Ow!" Wanda said as her bottom turned rosy. "Ow! Natasha! Ouch!"

Natasha smiled as the girl finally broke her silence. Unknown to any of the Avengers, Natasha had some experience in giving spankings. Years back, her work had made her the sports mistress of a girls boarding school in Russia, with administering discipline part of her job description. Natasha was trained to cause pain of unbearable proportions and had been wary when she pulled down the first pair of panties. But the exercise of using controlled force to promote good behavior had been refreshing, and she had quickly become an expert. Her students wouldn't have thought she used controlled force, though. One of the names she had earned was the "Three-day wonder," a reference to the number of days a group of girls slept on their stomachs after going over her knee. She had spanked quite a few for calling her some "interesting" names. She had left the school with one thing that was issued to all the teachers, with the principal's permission and good wishes.

Something Wanda was going to be acquainted with, very soon. And it was time to really get to the bottom of things.

"Wanda? Why are you getting spanked, love?" Natasha asked, keeping up the brisk spanking.

"Because I floated too far? And I spied on everyone!" Wanda said quickly, "Oww!"

"Was it that, really?" Natasha landed two searing spanks to the center of each cheek, making Wanda kick.

"Yes!" Wanda shouted, only to receive two more searing spanks, this time to each undercurve.

"Owwwwww!" Wanda shouted and threw a hand back, and Natasha grabbed it, pinning it to Wanda's back.

"Answer this, then." Natasha gave two more hard swats, then lightened the spanking. "We discussed espionage tactics, did we not? The best places for a spy? How to check whether you're being spied upon?"

"Yes?" Wanda said in a watery voice.

"The boys were in the air vent. The most obvious place, was it not?" the question was answered by another "Yes."

"And you, my dear protege, was in the next obvious place. To spy on a meeting which involved Steve Rogers and Clint Barton. And Steve pulled all three of you out, as if you were on sale at a grocery store." Natasha landed a few more hard spanks. Wanda kicked hard. This was getting way too close. Like an intrusion into her mind, which was supposed to be her niche!

Natasha locked Wanda's legs between her own, and started spanking again. "That, my protege, was stupid. And you are not stupid!" Natasha picked up the pace. "I don't know about the boys, but I trained you! Why did you spy on us in a way that would *Spank* obviously *Spank* get you *Spank* caught?"

"Owww! I don't know! Owwww!" Wanda yelled.

"May I go to the restroom, please?" Pietro asked suddenly. Clint raised his head. "Yes," Steve nodded, and Pietro turned towards the direction of the stairs.

"Freeze!" Clint barked, and Pietro stopped in his tracks. "You mean the restroom on this floor, right, Pietro?" Clint asked in a very formal tone.

"Um, actually, I thought I'd go to our floor -" Pietro stopped.

"And why is that?" Clint crossed his arms.

"No reason, really. I'll just sit here. I don't need the restroom." Pietro said, and curled into a ball. Clint glared daggers at him, and Pietro fidgeted again.

"Cap?" Peter asked. "May I go to the workshop for some time?"

"You're not going to stop by the floor above the discipline room on your way, are you Peter?" Steve asked. "I'd hate to see you try to eavesdrop twice in a day. Then we'll have to wait for Natasha to finish for an entirely different reason, won't we?." Peter now sank back against the cushions.

Wanda's bottom was turning red now. Enough, Natasha thought. Time to give the girl some help.

"You know, Wanda dear? Sometimes we do things that we can't justify even to ourselves." Natasha began. Wanda sobbed quietly, and Natasha rubbed her back. "Like when you really want to be a part of a team, even if it requires some unpleasant things?" Wanda sobbed louder. She had not been spanked that hard, but the question was too much to answer.

"You got caught just so that you won't be the only one not getting spanked, didn't you? You wanted to be "with" the boys?" Wanda did not nod but only sobbed. "You don't have to say yes, love. But am I wrong? Did you have any other reason?" Wanda did not answer.

"There are a thousand ways by which you could have accomplished that, child." Natasha started spanking Wanda again, but very lightly. "You could have just come to me. We would have thought of something that was safe, and you could have gone over my knee - maybe a pretend spanking. Or a real one if you wanted a red butt to show off!"

"Natasha!" Wanda tried to turn around in protest.

"Instead, you broke the team's trust by spying on one of our meetings." Wanda winced at the hard spank Natasha gave to drive that point home. "And you put your life in danger!" More hard spanks fell, and Wanda yelped.

"I'm going to make sure this does not happen again, and that's why you're getting this!" Natasha reached back and pulled out her old school souvenir. It was a long hardwood ruler, and it looked heavy. Wanda closed her eyes tightly.

Natasha lined up the ruler on Wanda's bottom, loving the way it felt in her hand. Wanda's bottom was red, but the spanking had been measured and not unbearable. The ruler was hard but flexible enough to teach a lesson quickly, but narrow enough to allow quite a lot of spanking without overlap. Except at Wanda's undercurve, where she would overlap the strokes on purpose. It would finish the job nicely.

She raised the ruler and brought it down on Wanda's bottom. Wanda heard a sharp crack and then felt the sting spread across the crest of her bottom. "Ah!" she yelped. That was too painful! Natasha brought the ruler down three more times, working her way down Wanda's bottom, making the girl cry out each time. Then, Natasha gently shifted Wanda to bring her undercurve into position, and Wanda tried to get free desperately. "Natasha, not there! Please!" However, the ruler landed quickly, three more times, and hard. Right where she sat down. Wanda arched her back and cried.

"It's been too long. Too long!" Pietro rocked to and fro.

"Calm down, lightning!" Clint tried to sooth him, but Peter jumped up. "Cap, it's been a really long time. Can you go and check, please?"

"Boys, quiet down, it's only been-" Steve paused. They had been gone for half an hour. That was very long. And the pause was enough to bring Pietro to his feet.

"I don't care! I'm going to go there and -" Pietro yelled, but Clint pushed him back down.

"Settle down, you two!" Clint looked at both the boys. "You remember how long we held you after we spanked you the first time?" Pietro and Peter looked at each other. That was true. The men sat down next to the boys again.

Natasha cradled Wanda as the girl cried. "If you have a crazy plan, you ask me first, child. Do you understand?" Natasha asked, looking into Wanda's face. "And sometimes, a little duplicity is good." Natasha continued, holding her close.

"I'm sorry!" Wanda sobbed.

"Hush now, it's fine!" Natasha held out a glass of water. "You've been spanked now, and you're going to be fawned upon by the whole team. Just wait, they're going to treat me like a wicked witch!"

"No, they won't," Wanda shook her head.

"Really?" Natasha answered. "I'm willing to bet Steve scolds me because I was too hard on you."

"Well, you were." Wanda said, giving her bottom a rub. "It's going to take me a week to heal!"

"No I wasn't!" Natasha patted her bottom. Wanda was free to act up, even if she would be fine the next day.

"Rulers are evil!" Wanda pouted. That thing had stung!

"They're quick, so..." Natasha shrugged.

"You're mean!" Wanda stuck out her tongue, and got hugged again. After a long time, Natasha helped Wanda up, and walked her out of the room, holding her close.

"Wanda has left the discipline room, Captain." Jarvis announced. Peter jumped on Pietro's back and he ran down. The speed at which they had reacted made the boys seemingly disappear in front of Clint and Steve's eyes. Rolling their eyes, the men made their way to the teens' floor.

Wanda was sandwiched tightly between the boys, and they seemed to not want to let her go, ever. "All right, our turn!" Steve grinned, and Wanda went to him. Steve held her tight, kissing her hair and forehead. "Are you all right, sweetheart?" he asked. Natasha smirked at him.

"She's the princess of Avengers Tower!" Steve said, handing Wanda over to Clint, who held her face cupped in his hands for a second before picking her up in his arms.

"She was my princess before she was yours, Steve, or yours, Nat!" He twirled Wanda around and set her down, still holding her tight. "And you know what that makes Natasha?" he said in a stage whisper, still in a gentle voice. "She's the wicked witch!" Wanda giggled, and Natasha gave her a dry smile as she passed her.

"I'll take you to your room," Pietro said, picking Wanda up.

"You have a class in half an hour!" Steve shouted, but Pietro was long gone. Well, Jarvis would remind him...

Pietro stared at the problem. It did not make any sort of sense, but it had when Cap explained it the first time. Now he couldn't do it, and Cap was going to be angry, and Clint was going to be disappointed, and Wanda...

"Pietro?" Steve cut off his line of thought. "Do you want some help?" Pietro nodded without looking up. "Don't think of the whole problem. Tell me the first thing you'll do." Steve said in a gentle voice, and Pietro said, very tentatively, "Group the coefficients of x?"

"Yes, pet. Do it." Steve said, reaching out to ruffle his hair. Pietro flinched away, then stopped, and blushed. Steve let his hand drop, carefully keeping it in front of the boy.

"Pietro, how many times have I hit you, other than the swats you and Peter seem to love getting?" Steve asked, putting down the pencil in his other hand.

"Never!" Pietro said immediately.

"Is it, really? Think a little, pet" Steve smiled.

"No, I'm sure. You've never hit me." Pietro says vehemently.

"How about the time you learnt to roll with a punch? Or the hand-to-hand training I made you do? Or anytime you and I train?"

"It doesn't really hurt then. It hurts, but it's not like it's actually painful!" Pietro said, not sure where the conversation was going.

"If I can teach you to punch and grapple without hurting you, wouldn't I be able to teach you about some squiggly lines on paper, pet? Would I need to hit you?" Steve asked, again running a hand through Pietro's hair. Pietro relaxed visibly, and Steve pulled him close. "Now, what's the next step?"

"I'm Done!" Peter shouted a few floors below. He had completed the problems Bruce had set him. They had been tough, but Peter had managed to solve them, or so he thought.

Bruce looked up from the book he was reading. "That was quick. Did you finish all of them?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure they're all correct." Peter mumbled. With the way the day was going, he'd probably get everything wrong and get scolded.

"Well, you're done for the day, whether they're correct or not. If there are any mistakes we'll work on them tomorrow." Bruce walked up to Peter and ruffled his hair. "Go on, get on Steve or Tony's nerves now."

Peter went into the workshop and saw a new gauntlet. Was this the Mach 60 or something? He looked closer and saw that it was for the Widow's bites. Mr. Stark was probably working on the triggering and targeting mechanisms.

He touched the door of the cupboard, and Jarvis spoke up. "Peter, you are not allowed to touch that gauntlet unless Mr. Stark or Captain Rogers is present. If you wish, I shall call one of them."

Peter smirked, opened up his StarkPad, and within a few minutes, Jarvis had been silenced. He opened the door, took out the gauntlet and turned it around to look at the targeting mechanism, and -

"Peter Parker!"

Peter froze.

Steve marched up to him with a face like thunder.

"Hand that over, and march straight to the discipline room." His voice was harsh, sending Peter's pulse racing. "Cap, I-" He started.

"Now!" Steve barked, and Peter ran out. He was in so much trouble! Steve gritted his teeth, looking at the boy run. Natasha's new gauntlet was something he, Tony and Natasha had argued about. Steve was worried that it could kill, Natasha said that she already had a gun, and Tony was trying to find a way to limit the potential as and when required. For the time being, Tony had locked it up out of the other team members' hands. Peter had just crossed a line which should not have been crossed. Mischief was one thing, even putting his life at risk during battle was understandable, but he had no reason to do what he had just done. Taking a few minutes to control his temper, Steve went to the teens' floor.


	15. Chapter 15

Peter paced the room. Why did he do these things? He should have waited for the next time he was helping Mr. Stark, or asked Jarvis to call when he'd offered. This was so stupid! Cap was so angry!

Steve came in and went straight to the recliner without even a look at Peter. "Get over my lap," he said shortly. Peter walked over and lowered his pants with shaky hands. Cap had never been this stern before a spanking!

Steve steeled himself. Usually, he would reassure the boy a little, but this time he was getting down to business quickly. It was a hard lesson that needed to be taught.

Peter bent over Steve's lap, and was settled into position rapidly. Before he could take another breath, his underpants were pulled down, and the first spank hit his bottom, hard.

"Ow!" Peter clenched his fists. Steve spanked him rapidly, and Peter kicked. This was terrible!

"Why am I spanking you, Peter?" Steve asked without letting up.

"Ahh! I was-Ow! I touched Ow!Ow! a weapon!"

Steve continued spanking. "Was there any reason for doing it?"

"I just wanted to see it, Cap! Owwwwww!" Cap had landed four searing spanks on the same spot. Steve's palm started to feel the strain.

"You could have asked me or Tony! If getting through Jarvis was your motive, you could have done that, but not opened the case." Steve was continuing the pattern - spanking each spot four times before moving, and Peter's bottom was on fire!

"I'm sorry, Cap!" Peter said, yelping and squirming. This was the hardest he had been spanked, other than the time Cap tried to relieve him of guilt over Uncle Ben. It was almost unbearable!

"You will be when I'm finished with you. Putting your life and others' lives in danger is not funny, young man!" Steve picked up the already quick pace, spanking every inch of Peter's bottom with hard swats, making his arm ache. The boy was going to feel this spanking, healing powers be damned.

Peter beat his fists on the recliner, and threw his hand back when Steve gave him an exceptionally hard six spanks. Steve pinned Peter's hand to the small of his back and continued the onslaught. It was time for his sit spot, but that wouldn't be the end of the spanking.

Peter felt himself move, and yelled out "Not there, please, Cap!" kicking as hard as he could. Steve moved the boy so that his sit spots pointed up, and clamped a leg over Peter's legs. Taking aim, he gave each sit spot three hard spanks before he moved to the next. After a dozen, Peter was crying softly.

Steve released the boy and stretched him out. His hand was hurting now, but Peter's bottom would heal within a few hours if he stopped now. The kid was getting another round on his cheeks and then Steve was going to spank his sit spots even harder.

Peter took a deep breath as he was stretched out. Now Cap would rub his back and it would be over. Instead, a hard spank fell on his bottom, followed by another, and another.

"Cap!" Peter yelled. "Ow! Cap! Aaaah!"

"Yes, Peter?" Steve went on spanking. What did the boy expect?

Peter didn't know what to say, except yelp with the hard spanking. Tears ran down his cheeks, and he began to sob when Steve targeted his sit spots again, landing hard spanks on the already red undercurve. His bottom was hurting so much, he was crying, and Cap didn't even -didn't even - he didn't talk, he was so angry! Peter burst into noisy tears and collapsed over Steve's lap, sobbing. "I'm sorry, Cap, I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me. I'm sorry!"

Finally, Steve thought. He stopped spanking Peter and quickly pulled him up into his arms, saying "I'm not mad at you, pet. Not at all." Peter sobbed uncontrollably. "It's over, child. Over now. Breathe, pet!" Steve hugged him close, rubbing circles on his was the hardest he had ever spanked the boy. Large tears rolled down Peter's cheeks and to Steve's shoulder. After what seemed like forever, Peter took a hitching breath and looked at Steve.

"You spanked so hard, and didn't talk to me at all, you were so angry..." Peter sobbed again. Steve kept rubbing his back, whispering reassurances till his sobs quieted a little. He then poured out a glass of water from a jug kept ready. "Pet?" He gently nudged the child who was now limply leaning against him. He held the glass, telling Peter to sip it. The water further quieted Peter's sobs, and Steve leaned Peter on his chest again, cuddling him close.

"I'm not angry at you, Peter. I was very angry at what you did, however. I am not ready to lose you, Peter Parker. I love you. Understand?" Steve raised Peter's chin to look at him. Peter nodded, looking at Steve through swollen eyes. Steve gave him another squeeze.

"If you ever put your life at risk so recklessly, pet, I'll borrow one of Clint's arrow shafts." Steve said, and Peter turned pale and trembled. "Please Cap, no!" he said in a shaky voice. Steve was surprised at the reaction. "Hush, child." Steve stroked his hair. I won't use anything that scares you, or would hurt you badly. But I do mean it, child. You risk your life again, you're not going to sleep on your back for a week." Peter whimpered, and Steve soothed him again "Enough discipline and enough scolding now. Relax, little spider." Peter relaxed, but the pain in his face showed he was still in distress.

"How does some lotion sound, pet?" Steve asked, and this time Peter smiled a little. Steve lowered him back over his lap and bared his bottom. The boy would sleep on his stomach tonight, even with the lotion and the healing powers. Steve's hand would ache for a day too. Steve poured a large dollop of lotion onto his hand - it did feel good on his smarting hand - and started rubbing the lotion. Peter looked back. The lotion was soothing, but his bottom! It was redder than it had ever been!

Steve pulled up Peter's pants, rubbed the boy's back and whispered comfort till he became drowsy. When the boy grew heavier and heavier in his arms, Steve picked him up and took him to the penthouse. Tony raised an eyebrow. Steve held out a deep-red palm. "Ouch!" Tony said, looking at Peter. "What did he do?"

"Hacked into Jarvis and tried on Nat's new gauntlet." Steve said, and Tony swore. "Why does he do this?" he asked. "I was right here. All he had to do was tell Jarvis to call me!" Steve just shrugged, and carried Peter to his bed.

Peter excused himself to eat dinner in his room. Pietro came up after dinner, and without him asking, Peter pushed down his pajamas. "Well, what do you think?" Peter asked.

"The man meant business, dude!" Pietro said. "And this was with his bare hand?"

"Yeah, his hands. You know he can rip a tree trunk into two with those!"

"What a day! First Wanda, then you.." Pietro gave his bottom a rub. He had a sense of impending doom. "What did you do, anyway?" he asked Peter.

"Screwed up, as usual. Cap and Mr. Stark are probably thinking I'm not worth the trouble." Peter punched his pillow.

Before Pietro could reply there was a knock on the door. "May I come in, Peter?" Steve called.

"Yes, Cap!" Peter called, pulling up his pajamas, and Pietro dived under the bed an instant before Steve came in. Why did he do that? Peter wondered. This was going to be hard to explain.

"Hey, Spider," Steve walked over and sat down on the side of the bed. "I thought you'd like some more lotion." Steve said in a gentle voice and ran a hand over Peter's head, and Peter flushed. He didn't want Pietro to hear Cap talking to him like this. Under the bed, Pietro squirmed. If Clint was talking to him like this and someone overheard? Argh!

"Actually, Cap, I'm OK!" Peter said.

"Really, pet?" Steve chuckled. "If you don't want lotion, let's just cuddle for a while, come on." Steve's voice was gently coaxing.

"I don't want a cuddle, Cap. Please?" Peter said, squirming and flushing even more. He so badly wanted a cuddle!

Steve looked at the boy and his obvious embarrassment. What could be wrong, he wondered. He tried an even more coaxing voice. "What's the matter little one? Why is my cuddlebunny still upset?" Steve laid a hand on Peter's back and the bed shook suddenly. Steve jumped up. "Peter, what's under the bed?"

"Cap, it's just me." Pietro came out.

Steve pulled him up and swatted him, and Pietro rubbed his bottom. "What were you doing there? Are you addicted to eavesdropping now?" Steve asked, his hands on his hips.

"I was talking to Peter and you knocked, and I-" Pietro stammered.

As if on cue, Jarvis announced, "Pietro is missing, Avengers. Please assemble in the lounge."

"Pietro is safe in Peter's room in the penthouse." Steve said. "Call off the alarm, Jarvis." For God's sake, the Nazis had been easier to manage!

Tony had been in the penthouse, and walked in almost immediately. "Why was Jarvis not able to see Pietro in spite of an emergency command? Were you responsible for that, Peter?" he snapped. Peter looked away.

"Really, Peter? Hacking into Jarvis twice in one day?" Steve asked Peter, who was now pale. He turned to Pietro. "You. You couldn't leave the room through the door when I came in?"

"Peter jumps out the window if Clint comes to my room." Pietro blurted out and Peter hid his face in his pillow. That was another spanking offense! He was ashamed and terrified. What was Cap going to do?

What was he supposed to do? Steve wondered. Spank the kid again? Superhero or not, any punishment would be too much for him to bear. Steve sat down on the bed, clutching his head.

Clint walked in, taking in the situation at a glance. Tony Stark looking angry, Peter Parker and Pietro Maximoff looking uncomfortable, and Steve Rogers clutching his head. "Steve? What's wrong?" he asked.

"The kids are set on driving me insane. Or we're going to wear out our arms on their butts." Steve said, "Build a time machine and send me back to Nazi Germany!" Tony chuckled at the last sentence.

"Put that suit of yours to work, Tony?" Clint asked, and the boys' eyes widened in horror.

"Maybe not right now, you two, but stop getting into trouble for the sake of it or I might just do it." Steve said, pulling Pietro into a hug, "Go with Clint now, and try not to tear the tower down."

"Come on, lightning." Clint said, taking Pietro by the shoulder. "We have a few things to discuss." Pietro gave his bottom another rub as he left.

Steve sat down on the bed again and held out his arms, and Peter was in them in a moment. Steve lifted the boy onto his lap, and Tony came to stand next to them.

"Mr. Stark, I won't hack into Jarvis again, Cap, I won't jump out the window again." Peter said, looking at each of them in turn. "Please don't spank me." Steve held him tight and stroked his hair. The boy was so scared! "No, pet. Not now. Not while you're still so sore." He kissed Peter on his head.

"But you've committed three big mistakes in one day, Peter. I'm revoking your permissions for entering and working in my workshop for a week." Tony crossed his arms. "And no messing with Jarvis."

Peter nodded, looking miserable. "And if anything like this happens again, I'm not going to let you off because you're sore. I'm going to wait till you're healed and discipline you as many times as necessary." Steve said, carefully keeping his voice as gentle as he could while holding Peter. Peter nodded again.

"Eavesdropping, hacking into Jarvis, picking up a half finished device, jumping out the window, it's not like you to get into so much trouble in one day, pet! Is anything bothering you?" Steve rubbed Peter's back.

"He didn't do all that in one day, he just got caught for two things." Tony said. Steve looked at him, and he shrugged. "The kid is going to do stuff he can get away with. And he's smart. So he'll get away with more stuff." He turned to Peter. "And one day it'll all pile up and you'll be in trouble."

Steve looked down at Peter. The child looked like he would burst into tears any second. "We can't both scold the kid. Decided against it, remember?" Tony said, and Steve nodded. "We're done, Peter. No more scolding." Peter still looked teary.

Ah, Steve thought. There was some good news he could give Peter. The poor kid needed that now. "Pet, before I forget, Bruce told me that you got a perfect score." Steve smiled down at Peter. Peter looked up at him, as if he was unsure of what to do.

"Well, done, Tarantula!" Tony clapped him on the back. "What was it?"

"Graduate level Physics. Seems even Bruce didn't expect it." Steve answered, petting Peter's hair. Peter leaned against Steve, who continued, "And in the morning, it seems, he lifted nine tons right over his head."

Tony's mouth fell open, and Steve chuckled. He nudged Peter to look at Tony. Peter chuckled. "You're so good, so smart, so brave. You know how easy it would be for you to stay out of trouble? Hmm?" Steve asked, kissing his forehead. "You'll never have a day like today again. You just need to be a little careful."

"I don't know, Cap. I don't want to get into trouble, don't want to get spanked." Peter's voice was almost a whimper as he cuddled close to Steve.

"But you will be spanked if you misbehave, Tarantula. That's the law of the land, so to speak." Tony said, gingerly patting Peter's head. Peter leaned into his touch, and Tony gently stroked his hair.

"Are you disappointed in me?" Peter asked in a quiet voice.

"Of course not." "Never, you little imp!" came the answers. Tony stroked Peter's back for a few minutes, and then left to check on a new experiment.

Steve cuddled Peter for some more time, applied lotion and settled him in bed. He rubbed the child's back till Peter drifted off. "Law of the land?" Peter thought as he fell asleep. How do you change a law?

Clint was in Pietro's room as well, but unlike Peter, Pietro was a little agitated. Mainly because Clint's hand was coming down on his bare bottom. Clint had told him to get ready for bed as soon as they came to the apartment, then walked in and ordered Pietro over his lap. "Spying on us! Trying to spy on Natasha and Wanda! Letting Peter jump out the window, when you could shove him back into the room! You think you would sleep easy with a pale bottom after all that?" Clint had asked before handing him a pillow and starting to light a fire in his butt. Pietro squirmed. Clint was not spanking hard, but it did sting, especially as the spanks continued to fall. To his relief though, Clint did not use a brush but just his hand, and after a dozen hard spanks to his sit spots, gathered Pietro up for a hug. "Silly child!" Clint said as he cuddled him. The hugs were worth getting, Pietro thought. Maybe even worth spankings.

He held on to Clint as he was delivered to Steve, who sighed at the tell-tale signs of a spanking, hugged him, and told him to get settled in bed.

His bottom stung as he climbed into bed awkwardly. Clint may not have used a brush, but the man's hands were callused and hard, and his arms were strong. Definitely not worth it, he corrected his opinion as he rubbed his bottom. And it seemed like the adults were on a mission! It wasn't fair - they never had to go through it!

Steve sat next to Pietro as lay on his stomach and started rubbing his back. "Let's hope tomorrow is better, shall we pet?" he asked, and Pietro nodded sleepily before drifting off.

Wanda rubbed her bottom as she lay on her stomach. She lifted up her nightshirt and craned her head to look. Eeeks! She thought, that looked worse than it felt! How was this even legal? That was it. No more experiments. She was not getting spanked again.


	16. Chapter 16

Steve awoke in the middle of the night. Pietro was sleeping peacefully in the next bed. Steve smiled in relief and stepped out of the room. "Jarvis, How are Peter and Wanda?" he asked the AI.

"They are both asleep and where they should be, Captain." Jarvis said and paused. "Agent Romanoff is asleep in Wanda's bedroom as well." Steve chuckled, and went up to take a look at Peter.

Steve jogged back from his morning run and entered the tower.

"Captain Rogers." Jarvis spoke up as soon as he stepped in.

"Good Morning, Jarvis" Steve said, grinning.

"Peter Parker has announced that he is going to stay in bed today." said the AI in a formal voice.

"What the-" Steve ran to the elevator, frowning.

Stupid "Greatest Generation," Tony thought, rushing to Peter's room after Jarvis apprised him of the facts. Tony had put Jarvis on the alert if Peter was in distress or had nightmares. Instead he'd received - this! Steve was going to scold the little monster or maybe turn him over his knee again for outright disobedience. The poor kid had been so miserable the previous night! He threw open Peter's door, but stopped on hearing Steve's voice.

"Awww, come on, little spider. You can't just stay in bed! We'll get pop tarts and chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, Bruce is going to want to fawn over you, and after that, how about we train for a while?" Steve was speaking in a half-teasing, gentle tone. "You can show me how much weight you lifted yesterday, maybe? I didn't get to see how strong my little spider is, did I? Get up, pet!" Steve's gentle coaxing was interspersed by Peter's whines. Stifling a laugh, Tony walked in.

Steve blushed crimson. Peter, however, did not react.

"Jarvis, save this. Captain America, blushing to his ears - should be worth a few millions." Tony said as he sat down on Peter's bed. Peter was curled into a tight ball, still in his pajamas, eyes closed tightly. "He was like this when I pulled the sheets off" Steve said, stroking the boy's hair with a finger.

"Mr. Stark, I don't want to come down today, please?" Peter said in a serious tone.

"Steve, we have to stop spanking the kids." Tony said, and Peter opened an eye. "It's making them silly." Steve raised an eyebrow. "Pietro and Wanda were mature when they came here. Yesterday, Wanda stuck her tongue out at Thor. And this guy? Gave me a speech about how he's responsible for not letting bad things happen. Now he wants to turn into an ostrich!" Peter whined again.

"He's not an ostrich. He's a cat-faced spider!" Steve said. "Observe." He ran a finger down Peter's spine, and the boy arched his back with a "Caaaaap!" before curling up again.

"I'm going to get rid of the bed and get you a two foot square cushion, Kitten-man!" Peter unraveled finally, and pouted at Tony.

"Finally decided to stretch out? Now, how about getting out of bed?" Steve asked.

Peter raised himself up on his elbows. "Yesterday was awful! I don't want to do anything today." he pouted again. "Thor's going to want to train me again, and I'm going to be sore! And then a woman is going to walk out of your room, Wanda or Pietro is going to get into trouble and I'm going to feel yucky, and..."

Tony stood up, and very suddenly, he scooped Peter out of bed, threw him over his shoulder and marched out. Peter did not protest, but when he was set down, complained that he was in his pajamas. Tony turned him around and gave him a gentle push to get dressed. Steve watched, a little surprised.

"I work out, and the kid's light!" Tony shrugged.

"But he didn't want to-?" Steve frowned.

"He didn't want to get out of bed on his own volition. He was fine with me getting him out of it. I couldn't have done it if he hadn't let me!" Tony said, walking off. Steve dropped into one of the couches in the penthouse's living room and waited. Peter came out, dragging his feet, and Steve picked him up immediately. Peter put an arm around Steve's shoulders and rested his head on his chest. Tony was right, Steve realized, the boy wanted to be carried.

There were cushions on three of the chairs at the kitchen table, but the teens had given excuses not to sit there, instead leaning back on the counter. They were also walking in a very "unique" way. Clint bit his lip as Peter walked past him, giving his bottom a surreptitious rub. All three were doing it, and it was incredibly funny. The adults were trying not to make eye contact or grin, which was hard, but the kids were getting a lot more attention than usual. The table had their favorite dishes, and they were getting hugs and hair ruffles repeatedly.

Natasha walked in, a little late, and the kids groaned inwardly. "Sit at the table when you eat!" she snapped. The kids ambled to the table and lowered themselves to their seats carefully. Pietro sat down without reacting much, Wanda narrowed her eyes, and Peter grimaced. Steve hugged Wanda from the back, and when she looked up, kissed her forehead.

"Did you sleep well, honey?" Steve asked, and Wanda nodded. "Natasha told me spy stories, and they made me wide awake, but then she taught me some really boring codes, and I went straight to sleep." The Avengers laughed, and Tony mouthed "Silly!" at Steve.

"That's why Steve and Bruce are teaching you, sweetheart." Clint said and was promptly cuffed on his head. Wanda laughed, then shifted in her seat and winced.

"Nat, are you sure you didn't overdo it?" Steve asked and was on the floor. Natasha's leg lock had caught him by surprise, and the only way to block it was if he saw it coming. Pietro put a protective arm around Wanda, while Steve asked "How? You were sitting!" as he pulled himself up. Peter giggled.

Steve gave him a look, to which Peter just shrugged. "You were much harder on me!"

"And Nat was insubordinate just now!" Pietro pointed out. "But you'll just glare at her, and she'll be fine." Steve glared at Natasha, and now Wanda giggled.

"It's barbaric, that's what it is!" Peter said. "Spankings should be made illegal by the United Nations or something." Wanda and Pietro nodded vehemently.

Tony had his hand wrapped in Urü metal embedded cloth. He slapped a boxing glove and checked the readout set on it to measure the force, pursing his lips. It was one thing to have an idea, another thing to put it to use. He thought of how light Peter had been that morning. Using force on that child when he didn't have superhuman strength? And taking away his powers seemed like a huge violation. Tony actually shuddered. How did the others manage it?

Peter lay on his stomach on the floor of the teens' lounge. He had stood through the morning's classes and now his legs felt tired. Wanda was levitating an inch off the couch. Pietro was sitting next to her, an arm around her.

"She has a ruler. It's like three feet long or something. Seems she went to spy on one of the teachers in a school, and they gave that to to her. And she was so good at blistering butts they made her the in-charge for discipline, and the other teachers sent kids to her every evening. You got super serum, you got a guy who knows extraction techniques, I got both, plus actual field experience!" Wanda said and the boys winced in sympathy. She got up and went out, rubbing her bottom. Peter rubbed his bottom as well. When was it ever going to heal fully?

Pietro got up and sat on the floor next to Peter. "Are you gloating?" Peter twisted around to glare at him.

"No, I'm not, Pauk," Pietro grinned. "You're the one who usually shows off by bouncing in your seat an hour after getting your butt roasted."

"Yesterday was horrible. Felt like he was holding a machine gun to it." Peter rubbed his bottom again. "I was stupid though. Going to keep doing it till I'm thrown out."

"Dude, you got spanked, then hugged. By Cap, of all people. Once he hugs you it's over. Nobody is going to throw you out." Pietro said, hugging a cushion.

"Maybe it's better if they do." Peter said, not looking at Pietro.

"What the hell do you mean?"

"My uncle has spanked me a few times when I was a kid. That's it, I've never been paddled at school or anything. And then I came here, and it's like every week I get my bum blistered! And it's so scary!" Peter broke off. He had not wanted to say that.

"If you're that scared, you have to talk to Cap." Pietro said, his face serious. "Clint uses an arrow shaft on me, but I've never been that scared."

"Oh, you're a big damn hero?"

"No I'm not. But you turned the color of my damn hair, and Cap and Stark should know that!" Pietro said, and Peter jumped to the ceiling.

'I know what to do." He yelled back, scuttling across the ceiling. Peter moved with purpose. He knew what he had to do to make himself useful. And stop the spankings.

"Ban Corporal Punishment" the petition stated in bold letters. Peter had run across a few of these in his quest to beat the "law of the land." This one had the strongest case, as well as the most signatures. Peter filled in the details and submitted the form and the website asked if he wanted to participate in a telephonic survey.

Peter clicked yes, and saved the number given on the site as top priority. That meant that Jarvis would alert him to the call and patch him through even if he didn't have his phone with him.

Peter completed the petition and sent the link across to Pietro and Wanda. Done. Now for the next thing he needed to do.

Steve sat at his desk, staring at the table. Thor stood next to him, a hand on the desk. For once, Steve was feeling young and inexperienced. Thor was putting forward scenarios, good and bad, of what could happen if Bucky was brought out of hiding.

"As a warrior, do you truly believe that finding him will be better for your people? Are your motives selfless or selfish? Even if your motives are selfish, are you certain that bringing him out of hiding is the right thing to do?" Thor's voice was quiet, in stark contrast to his usual roar. "You will take a fortnight to think and answer. If you say yes, I shall ask Helmdall to find James Buchanan Barnes." Steve's hands were clammy. "That is the Allfather's answer, Steve." Thor said in a formal voice. "You will answer me, yes or no, in a fortnight." Thor placed his hand on Steve's shoulder. Steve looked up. Thor smiled kindly at him, patted his shoulder, and walked out. Steve pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Cap?" Steve looked up. Peter stood at the entrance. Steve waved him in, moving to the couch on one side of the room.

"What is it, spiderling?" Steve patted the couch, but Peter didn't sit down. Steve felt a pang of guilt.

"Can I patrol the streets? Mr. Stark made me stop when I came here, but he said I can do it when I'm trained enough, and now I..." Peter spoke fast, and Steve reached out and pulled the boy into his lap.

"Yes, I do remember you were patrolling the streets before, and we made you stop. And yes, you are trained now. But there will have to be safeguards, pet." Steve held the boy close. Did Peter know how much comfort he was giving? he wondered, running his hand through Peter's hair. "We'll discuss it with Tony, all right?" Peter nodded and Steve hugged him. "I'm so proud of you." The boy blushed, but leaned against him. Steve felt the weight of the child strangely reassuring, but also frightening. What if Bucky was brought here and couldn't be controlled? Was he putting the kids in danger? What was Bucky, now, anyway? 14 days to think over that impossible question.

Two days later, Spider-man stood on the landing pad with Captain America and Iron Man. The discussion on Peter patrolling had taken hours together. Each one of the Avengers had wanted to accompany him, and their overprotective sides had taken over. Finally, Peter had been fitted with a comm which was connected to a system reading his vitals, precautions had been drilled in, and Steve had drawn up a full mission brief including the route Peter would take and how often he had to report to Jarvis.

Spider-man saluted with a flair and leapt off the landing pad. In a few seconds, he was swinging across the city. The two superheroes entered the tower silently, going to their respective suites. Steve pulled off his cowl, slipped on a smock and started on an oil painting. Tony put his armor in sentry mode and started reading. Both of them found it almost impossible to concentrate.

"Peter Parker has entered the Tower." Jarvis announced two hours later. Tony dismissed the armor and fell back into his chair, wondering when he had gone this soft. Steve let out a long breath. He was the commanding officer, and the mission was not yet complete.

Peter sprang into the studio a few minutes later. "I'm back!" he shouted, his voice quivering with excitement.

"Report, Parker." Steve said in an emotionless voice, continuing the painting with his back to Peter.

Peter stopped short at Steve's response. A moment later, he blurted out in one breath, "I stopped two muggings and a housebreak. I've webbed up the perpetrators, and informed the police. There were no injuries, and the mission went as planned." Peter's voice had lost the excitement. Steve let out a silent sigh.

"File a report with Jarvis. The mission will be complete once you finish that."

"Yes, Cap." Peter said and left. There were tears in his eyes, which he dashed away. He told Jarvis to file the report and went up to the penthouse. It was later than his bedtime, and it might lead to more trouble. He wasn't patrolling to impress Cap. No, not at all. He didn't need recognition.

He barely stepped into the penthouse when he was accosted by Tony and two of the Iron Legion. He was checked for injuries and settled on cushions and a footstool, and Tony handed him a drink. Tony then poured one for himself, sat down with Peter, and asked. "How was it, Tarantula? Omit no detail." Peter's mood lifted a little and he opened his mouth to start, but the elevator opened.

"I want to listen to the story too, Peter." Steve said as he walked in.

"But.. You..." Peter stammered.

"But...I... was your commanding officer." Steve said, smiling down at Peter. "Haven't you noticed how i ask everyone to report after a mission?"

Peter felt like hitting his head. Of course. It was always "Report, Stark" and "Report, Romanoff."

"Now the mission is over, and I want to hear what my little spider did." Steve sat down on the couch and ruffled Peter's hair. "Go on, pet!"

Peter started recounting the events of the night, and was sitting on Steve's lap by the time he finished. "Well done, webslinger!" Tony said and looked at Steve, who asked "Now, should we let him do it again?"

"Every night!" Peter shouted, while Tony said "Once a year, maybe!"

"Not every night. You're not a soldier. Twice a week for now." Steve said. Tony reluctantly agreed.

"I am a soldier." Peter sat up straight in Steve's lap. "I might even join the army." Steve pulled him down to rest on his chest and gave him a cuddle.

"You can't be in the army, Tarantula. You're too young and too skinny!" Tony took a sip of his drink.

"I'll be old enough in two years, and Cap was skinnier than me when he enlisted!" Peter shot back.

Steve rolled his eyes. The teens rolled out the "Cap did it!" argument for breaking rules as often as they could get away with it.

"And you'll climb into your commanding officer's lap each time you get a medal?" Tony asked, and Peter lunged at him, only to be stopped by Steve, lightly smacked on his bottom, then cuddled and sent off to bed. And to Peter's surprise, Tony came in a few minutes later to tuck him in. Life is good, Peter thought, as he drifted off.


	17. Chapter 17

"Come here," Bruce said as soon as Peter walked into the common kitchen for breakfast. "Pietro is making pancakes. Help him." A cooking class, now? Peter grimaced, but Dr. Banner and Pietro working together was something he didn't want to disrupt. He tied an apron around his waist and started measuring out the ingredients.

"Where's the cheese, Pietro?" Peter asked.

"Well, cheese is expensive!" Pietro said defensively. "I thought I'd leave it out." Peter glanced around the room once, then peered carefully at the measuring jar in his hand. Steve raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, roadrunner?" Clint had just walked in, carrying his quiver and bow.

"Even if Mr. Stark can get it here, it's still not good to waste it." Wanda said from the table.

"Get it from..?" Steve asked, his eyes on Peter.

"The Moon?" Pietro answered. Clint and Bruce stifled laughs, Wanda looked around the room and locked eyes with Pietro, and the twins swore, thankfully in Sokovian. Pietro threw his spoon into the batter. "Why you little.." he started at Peter.

Steve was already by his side. He held Pietro back, but gripped Peter's ear. Peter's stomach started to churn. "And why are we getting cheese from the Moon?" he asked.

"Anthrax!" Wanda and Pietro said in unison, and glared at Peter, and Wanda began to roll her hands around a ball of magic. Clint snickered and Steve frowned.

"Owwww!" Peter said, trying to get out of Steve's grip.

"I'm not even gripping it hard." Steve said, and turned to Pietro. "You know you two really shouldn't believe everything you hear?"

"Cap, he made it believable." Wanda said. He said that after the Anthrax scare, American dairies had to close off."

"And just like they use corn syrup instead of sugar, they have a synthetic milk, but it can't be used to make cheese." Pietro added, picking up bottles of ketchup and mustard. "And he started talking about it right after Wanda said that her new leotard seemed too expensive. He said Mr. Stark loves to splurge - who else has cheese every day?"

"Cap, Cap, it was just a prank!" Peter protested. This was scary - his ear in Cap's grip, Wanda juggling magic wisps, and Pietro - who knew what he had in mind?

"You know the consequences of a prank, Peter?" Steve asked. Peter looked up. "You get no help in handling repercussions." Peter turned pale, and Bruce calmly took over the pancake batter. "No blows, no injuries, and no mess in the kitchen, kids." Steve said and released Peter.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH" Peter screamed as the twins cornered him. A minute later, he had on an Iron Man suit painted over his spider suit in ketchup and mustard.

"Cheese from the Moon, really!" Pietro said, stepping back. The adults roared.

"You, you're coming to my studio during your free time today. Play with the paints and see if you like it." Steve told Pietro, as Peter went to wash off the mustard and ketchup.

"Cap, please? I'll just do the problems step by step with you like I always do?" Pietro asked. He was scheduled to take a Math test - the first one since Steve had started guiding him.

"Pet, this is required if you want to complete the course. It's just a test. You're going to work out the problems and enter the answers into the computer." Steve held Pietro by the shoulders. "You're ready for this, roadrunner, you've learned all that is required. Just look past your fear." With a final pat, Steve moved over to Wanda's side to look over her work, and Pietro started working on the test. One step at a time, he told himself.

In Bruce's lab, Peter was working out a problem under Bruce's eye. "Peter, that's the third time you've just ignored a term in the expression." Bruce told Peter, his hands on his hips.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Banner!" Peter started correcting the mistake on the huge holographic screen.

"Even a genius can't afford to be careless, young man. Pay attention!" Bruce said, and Peter's heart sank. He nodded and started working again.

It was a sullen group of teenagers who entered the kitchen for lunch. Peter was still brooding, Pietro was worried, and Wanda was picking up the other two's emotions. The adults came in one by one except for two. Tony, who was never on time, and to everyone's surprise, Steve. Not all of them were required to be at the table at the same time, however, so the team started their meal. They were almost finished when Steve walked in with a sheet of paper. He marched to the fridge and stuck the paper to it with a magnet. "Pietro Maximoff!" he called, and Pietro looked up. It was his test, with a perfect score.

Pietro ran up with a look of disbelief, then whooped and fist-pumped. Steve hugged him and Wanda and Peter ran up followed by the other Avengers. Pietro was getting his forehead kissed and back slapped when Peter went back to the table to take his dishes to the sink. Bruce was leaning against the counter talking to Tony who had finally come in.

"What's up, Tarantula?" Tony asked. "Why are you looking like your exoskeleton's sprained?"

"Nothing, Mr. Stark." Peter answered.

"Are you looking sullen because I said you were not paying attention?" Bruce looked straight at Peter, and the answer was obvious on the boy's face. "That was just a comment on what you were doing then, Peter. Don't keep brooding over it." Bruce said in a very gentle voice.

"Bruce, that's not going to work. The kids have been conditioned. Unless he gets hugged, he'll be in a blue mood." Tony picked up a mug and put it under the coffee machine. "Well, that's easily fixed." Bruce said, and pulled Peter into a hug. "You're excellent at your work, Peter. You fixed the errors you made toda, by yourself. I'm proud of you." he said and Peter leaned into the hug, his mood lifting. On the other end of the room, a bot was handing a photograph to Natasha, who pinned it up. It was Wanda in a tutu, standing en pointe. Pietro was in Steve's arms again.

"Should we post some of your work on the fridge?" Bruce ruffled Peter's hair and turned to Tony, "What do you think?"

"They'll need a translator to understand any of Peter's work. We'd have to put a bot next to the fridge." Tony answered, sipping his coffee.

"Tony!" Bruce warned, but Peter grinned.

"Well, it's true. we're geniuses, we don't need to flaunt it." Tony said. "We're nobles watching the peasants celebrate, aren't we, Tarantula?"

"Mr. Stark, that's mean!" Peter said, giggling. Bruce gave him a squeeze, while holding back his own laughter.

"Tony!" Steve snapped. "What are you telling Peter?"

"It's a joke about the Robertson-Walker metric." Tony sipped his coffee again.

"I thought the Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker metric was the solution to Einstein's Field Equations." Steve said, and Tony stared back. "I read through those sometime back when Thor told us about the time Dr. Foster was taken to Asgard." Pietro chuckled.

"Never knew brains could come out of a bottle." Tony said and Peter gasped.

"Yours needs a repulsor blast before it drowns you in coffee." Pietro chuckled again, then looked eagerly at Tony.

"Air's getting thick with testosterone." Natasha held out her arms. Wanda twirled into them and was raised above Natasha's head. They went out, gracefully twirling with Wanda's feet pointed towards the ceiling. "She's acing all her tests too!"Natasha shot over her shoulder as they left the room.

"Can someone really drown in coffee?" Pietro asked.

"Well, it can turn toxic if there's too much of it and nothing else in the stomach." Steve answered.

"That won't be drowning, literally, right? I've wondered though, how do even good swimmers drown sometimes?" Peter asked. "If we're in a fight or something in water, and.."

Peter struggled, panting, trying to breathe. His arms and legs flailing, he fought with every ounce of strength he had to surface, to no avail. His spider suit could keep out water, but didn't have a supply of oxygen, and Peter felt as if his lungs would explode. But his head was being firmly held under the water.

"10 seconds, pet. Relax now, you can easily hold your breath for longer. Relax, don't panic, that's it...20 seconds. Good, Peter! Focus now..." Cap's voice felt like it was miles away, though he was right next to Peter. Thor, afloat behind Peter, had a firm hold on his shoulders and head. After a minute, Thor let Peter up. Peter came up, sputtering, and Steve pulled him up to sit next to him on the edge of the pool.

Stupid! Peter thought. It was stupid to ask Cap if it was more difficult to hold your breath while fighting someone underwater. Of course Thor had to turn up to talk to Cap. And of course Thor said he could delay his return to Asgard.

"Nat?" Steve called, and Wanda was unceremoniously kicked into the water. She surfaced, and sent a plume of water to drench Natasha's head. With a wry smile, Natasha reached out and pushed Wanda's head underwater, speaking in the same level tones Steve had.

Pietro grimaced, whispering "Where do they think up this stuff?" in a voice low enough only for Peter to hear. Peter smirked, just before Clint gently shoved Pietro into the water. Peter watched as Pietro was put through the same training/torture, and then Cap pulled off his mask. "Caaaap!" Peter whined. "It's waterproof, Peter. That's an advantage you might not have!" Steve said, and Thor grabbed him and held him underwater again.

After what seemed like forever, the teens were allowed to sit on the edge of the pool while the adults took their turn. Clint held his breath for an impressive three minutes, and Steve, Natasha and Thor managed even longer. Iron Man was the one in the pool the longest, though.

"Jarvis?" Steve asked, holding Iron man down by his helmet underwater, "How long does his oxygen supply last?"

"There is no external supply in that suit, sir. Only vents, and those were closed on contact with water."

"Is he really all right?" Steve frowned.

"Mr. Stark's vitals are perfectly fine, sir." the AI answered.

"Cap, 's not in the suit!" Peter shouted. "See the way Jarvis is talking!"

"Jarvis, is Stark in the suit which is underwater?"

"No, Captain!" the AI answered, making the whole group utter their favorite curses. Under their breath and with an eyeroll at Steve's back, of course. Pietro and Wanda swore colorfully in English, and in the same low tone Pietro had used before. Peter clamped a hand over his mouth to stop giggling.

"You three," Steve nodded to the kids, "Get Stark into the water within five minutes, and your curfew's extended by an hour." Pietro picked up Wanda and flashed off. Peter pulled on his mask and jumped out the window. A minute later, Tony was brought in and thrown into the pool. He summoned a suit the moment the teens let him fly, and hit the water for barely a second before flying to the ceiling. While Steve gave Tony his best death glare, Thor took his leave. Better a glare than a panic attack, Tony thought, he was not a "super-strong-minded-soldier" after all.

"Out of the pool, everyone. Don't change out of your wet clothes. Figure out a way to dry off." Steve said, and the Avengers climbed out. Tony flew out the window.

"You know, even if I can't hear you, what you three are doing is very obvious?" Steve whispered and Peter flushed. Steve ruffled his hair, sending him off. Peter went to the landing pad to dry off.

Pietro stood in Steve's studio. His smock was covered with paint, and a large abstract watercolor was in front. Steve grinned. He had been right about Pietro's talent. "Jarvis, list out a few art schools, will you?" he said as Pietro stripped off the smock.

"It'll be good for you. Slow you down at times?" He said, hugging the boy. Pietro grinned. It had been a lot of fun, especially the finger paints. First the test, now this. He was almost reluctant to prank the man. Thankfully their plan was harmless, Pietro thought as he headed to the teens' lounge. Their prank had taken a long time to plan, especially to ensure that they didn't end up over anyone's lap.

"Holding heads under water. They need a taste of their own medicine." Peter said, shaking his head as if to shake water out of it. The teens bent over a map of the tower. "Now, this is point A..." Peter started explaining.

The three teens crept out of bed at 1 AM, comms in their ears and Peter suited up, and retrieved the large packets of ice they had stowed in their fridge. The climate control in the tower was decided on the basis of four readings at different points. Jarvis averaged them out, and adjusted the inside temperature accordingly.

By dropping the temperature at two of the points and increasing it at the other two, Peter predicted that they could cause the temperature to go haywire. The minimum and maximum levels were already set, and Peter had double checked the code. This was going to be unpleasant for the adult Avengers, not dangerous.

"Now!" Peter called and Pietro held Wanda's curling iron close to the thermostat. "Wanda!" Peter called, placing the ice pack near the thermostat. There was a click, and the windows of the tower closed and cold air poured in from the vents. Peter opened the nearest window and jumped out, and it shut again behind him. Pietro flashed off, picking up Wanda. The teens were back in their rooms in a few minutes, as the temperature dipped down to ten degrees Celsius. Peter hastily pulled pajamas over his suit.

Almost immediately though, as Peter had predicted, the numbers on the thermometer began to climb. He chuckled as Jarvis shouted out messages interspersed with curses. Suddenly, Pietro's panicked voice came across, yelling, "Avengers, Cap is down. Cap is down, Avengers Assemble!" Peter's insides seemed to change to ice as he ran out, followed by Tony, who was summoning his suit. He grabbed Peter, jumped out the window and flew into Steve's floor. They heard noises from the bedroom and ran in.

Steve was panting on the floor, a terrified Pietro nearby. "Shit!" Tony said, moving next to Steve as the other Avengers entered the floor. "Can't breathe!" Steve panted, sweating and looking terrified. "Calm down. You'll be fine in a few minutes, just calm down." Tony said in a level voice. Bruce knelt next to Steve and lifted his hand to take his pulse. "It's asthma, isn't it?" Steve panted when Bruce covered him with a blanket from the bed. "No, it's just a panic attack. Breathe, it'll be over soon." Tony said, still in the calm voice. Scared, with a blanket around his shoulders, Steve looked very young, and Tony realized he was just looking his actual age. While Tony kept talking, Wanda knelt next to Steve and moved her hands over him. Slowly, his breathing leveled out and his body stopped shaking. Tony lifted him onto the bed and the Avengers breathed a collective sigh of relief. Steve leaned back against the pillows, and the team moved closer to him.

"Felt like I was falling into the ocean again. And then like an asthma attack. I thought the serum was wearing off or something," Steve tried to smile. Clint handed him a towel, and he started wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Thanks for the warmth and the calming down, love. Sorry I got you all out of bed." Natasha sat down next to him and pulled him into a hug. Steve hugged her back.

"Right, you're tucked in, you have an extra blanket, now all you need is a teddy bear." Tony said. "Tarantula!"

Peter didn't budge, and Steve looked at the teens who were standing huddled together. "What? Did I scare you speechless?" he asked, this time with an actual grin. They looked back at him, rooted to the spot.

"Oh, for God's sake!" said Clint. "Steve, they did it. Did something to screw up the temperature!" The other Avengers looked at the teens. There was no doubt. The kids looked like they had been caught committing murder.

"What did you do?" Tony asked, crossing his arms and looking straight at Peter.

"Just messed with the temperature sensors. Held ice and a curling iron to them." Peter said in a little voice.

"And the condensation? Heat? What if the system had broken down and we all had frozen to death?" Tony was almost yelling, and Peter took a step back.

"We waterproofed the sensors, put flame retardants, checked the minimum and maximum temperatures programmed in, and I had a bit of code built into Jarvis as a protective measure to bring the temperature to 20 degrees. You looked at it last week and said it was OK." Peter spoke rapidly. "We just wanted you to wake up cold - and get confused, curse and swear." Wanda added.

"And that's exactly what happened with everyone else." Steve smiled. "You could not have thought of my reaction, kids. It's fine. Now come here." He held out his arms. The teens didn't budge."Come here now. I'm feeling my age or I would come there." he added. Tony, Natasha and Clint added their own verbal nudges and the teens went over to the bed. "I'm fine, see? Nothing happened, you did nothing harmful." Steve repeated as he hugged each of them.

"Sir? The young lady in your room is asking if everything is all right." Jarvis said. All the Avengers groaned as Tony pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Can I bring young ladies to my room too?" Pietro asked and the others stared at him. He blushed.

"Just realised you said it aloud, punk?" Clint asked. "Come on, get to bed. That's not a discussion I'm going to have now." The Avengers dispersed, Pietro going back to his room to give Steve some privacy.

Peter went to his room and to bed, but could not sleep. He tossed and turned, his stomach churning again. That had been a cruel thing to do. And to the greatest hero he ever had. He was still restless when his phone rang an hour later. "Dude, are you OK?" Pietro asked.

"Can't sleep." Peter answered.

"I and Wanda can't either." Pietro said, "We have to do something about it, or we'll keep feeling this guilty!"

"And what are we supposed to do about it?" Peter asked, hugging his pillow.

"We'll ask them to - you know.." the answer came from Wanda, and Peter felt his insides turn cold again.

"That's a horrible idea!" Peter said.

"That's what we're going to do, you needn't join us." Pietro said, and Peter felt his stomach churn even more.

"No, if you're doing it, I'm also in." he said in a little voice.

"All right, then. Right after lunch. We'll have training after that, not too much sitting down." Pietro said, then hung up.

"Peter, are you all right?" Bruce's gentle voice cut into Peter's thoughts the next morning. Peter looked up. "You've picked up the wrong reagent twice, you're slouched over and you've hardly spoken a word. What's the matter, child?"

" , it's just that, um, my stomach is kinda aching." Peter stammered. It was true. The churning had become a dull ache, throughout his stomach and his ribs.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Bruce stripped off his lab coat, and guided Peter to the infirmary, shouting a command at Jarvis. Steve and Tony were already waiting when they reached there, and Steve ran a hand through Peter's hair as Bruce prodded his abdomen.

"Does it feel better when I place my hand like this, Peter?" Bruce asked, putting a hand over Peter's ribs. "Yes, Dr. Banner." Peter answered. "Is your mouth dry, child? Any shortness of breath?" he continued, and Peter nodded.

"It's anxiety, young man." Bruce smiled down. "There's nothing wrong with your body."

"Anxiety about what?" Steve and Tony both asked, and Peter winced. The two men grimaced. "What's bothering you, Tarantula?" Tony asked in a much softer tone. Peter didn't reply and Steve started rubbing circles on the boy's stomach.

"Is there too much on your plate, young man?" Steve asked. "Need a break?" He picked up the boy carefully. "Or is it about what happened yesterday? That wasn't your fault at all, little spider!"

"Maybe you should stop the patrolling." Tony said, and Peter protested. "Whatever it is, no classes or training for you today." Bruce said. "Go rest for a while." Steve nodded, and carried Peter to his floor.

"Clint is supervising the twins, pet. Let's catch up on some stuff." Steve said. "Jarvis, what's next on the list?"

"The Lord of the Rings movies, Captain." said the AI. "The first one is "The Fellowship of the Ring"."

"Sounds good." Steve said, settling Peter with his head on his thigh and rubbing his stomach. "Relax, spiderling."

Peter tried to relax, but his stomachache only seemed to get worse as it got closer to lunch time. He was going to be back over Cap's lap, and his hand wasn't going to be giving any tummy rubs. He hugged himself, curling into a ball.


	18. Chapter 18

"Pet, doesn't Elrond look like a Nazi?" Steve asked, still gently stroking Peter's hair. The boy didn't reply. He was still awake, though, judging by how stiffly he was holding his body. What could be bothering the boy, Steve wondered.

"Peter?" He called softly.

"Yes, Cap." Peter's voice was strained. Steve switched off the television and looked down at Peter. "Look at me, spiderling." he said in a quiet voice. Peter rolled over obediently. His face was pale.

"Did anything happen the last time you went on patrol? If there is, we can fix it." Steve said in a soft voice, and Peter shook his head. The boy was a teenager, prone to getting in trouble. Had he gotten into something too big for him to handle?

"Is there anything I, Tony or Aunt May should know about?" Steve tried again. "Anything with your old friends? At photography class? Online?" Peter shook his head again. He felt miserable, his stomach churning more than ever, and he felt like a coward.

"The worst that can happen is a spanking, pet." Steve added in a teasing voice, and Peter turned pale. Steve mentally cringed before pulling the boy into his arms. He had said exactly the wrong thing.

Peter felt like throwing up. Cap knew. He knew that he was scared of spankings. He must seem like such a coward.

Steve hugged Peter tightly, murmuring "Shhh, pet. it's OK." After a few minutes, he gently tilted Peter's face up with a finger. "Did this start after the last time?" He asked, and Peter flushed. Steve cringed again. First the yelling, and now he had spanked the boy hard enough to give him a stomachache at the thought. He should stay away from discipline. But right now, he had a task to do.

Steve kissed Peter's forehead. "If a spanking causes this amount of anxiety, child, you're not getting spanked. It's that simple." Peter looked at him, a little confused. "Discipline should be a deterrent, pet, not scare you this much. You're Tony's ward, the youngest Avenger. You should feel safe and loved. Till we find out what's making you so upset and resolve it, I'm not going to spank you. No matter what you do." Peter relaxed, seeming to deflate against Steve's chest, and his breathing evened out.

"Now, what is it that you did? You were fine at dinner yesterday." Steve asked, rubbing Peter's back gently. "You didn't have time to get into trouble after that. Except for the prank. And that was OK. I told you, didn't I?" Peter paled again.

"What happened after that, Peter? Tell me, now." Steve's voice had a slight edge to it, though he was still rubbing Peter's back. Peter drew in a shaky breath.

"We decided to ask for spankings, today after lunch, because we felt guilty." Peter blurted out in one breath, and burst into tears. Steve held him close again, letting him cry out what remained of his anxiety, and possibly his guilt.

The three teenagers stood with their mentors in Steve's office.

"It doesn't work that way. You don't get to decide for what and how you are disciplined." Steve said, making the teens avert their eyes.

"If you feel guilty, talk it out with one of us. And when you come up with this sort of idea, whoever did, check if the others really agree. For some people, a spanking gets rid of guilt. For others, it doesn't." Peter shuffled closer to Tony, while Wanda leaned against Natasha and Clint ruffled Pietro's hair.

"Now, you three, you have lunch, then go to your floors. No classes today, so get some sleep and talk things over with your mentors. Do what's necessary to feel better."

Tony and Steve were in Peter's room. Steve had thought Peter would be most comfortable there.

"Was I too hard on you last time, pet? Did it hurt too much?" Steve petted Peter's hair and asked him in a gentle tone.

"Wasn't that painful. Just went on and on..." Peter's voice was barely a whisper.

"I spank you for a long time because you heal so quickly, child. I'm sorry." Steve said.

"How were you disciplined at home?" Tony asked.

"Not much before I came here. A few spankings... Maybe around a dozen swats, but mostly I just got lectured. I didn't have so much time to get into trouble, though." Peter didn't meet the men's eyes.

"Looking at you fight, it's easy to forget how gentle they were with you, pet." Steve said with a wan smile, then hugged Peter close. "It will never happen again. I'm going to be very, very careful." Peter leaned into the hug in relief. Tony held out an arm, and Peter stared at it.

"What? Did I spout horns?" Tony asked with a grin. "Come here, arachnid." Peter sprang into his arms, holding on tight. "Whatever bothers you, kid, you come to me immediately, all right?" Tony asked, and Peter managed a little nod. "And being scared of something is nothing to be ashamed of." Peter flushed. Had Mr. Stark read his mind?

The men left after some more gentle reassurance, and Peter threw himself onto his bed. What was going to happen now? At least his stomach didn't ache anymore.

Clint was in the discipline room, hugging a freshly spanked Pietro. The spanking had been hard, and Clint had used the hairbrush.

"You know we could have done this last night?" Clint asked as Pietro went back over his lap. It had taken a surprising amount of force for Pietro to release his guilt, which meant the aftercare had to be long enough. Clint poured a generous amount of lotion on to his palm.

"Yes, I know. I can't just jump across your lap, though." Pietro said, hugging a cushion. He was feeling normal for the first time after he had seen Steve start panting and choking.

"Why not?" Clint asked, starting off with the lotion.

Pietro turned and glared at Clint.

"That's not something I'd expect from someone who's just had his bottom spanked." Pietro flushed. "You were open enough when you asked about bringing girls home, weren't you?"

"Clint!" Pietro hid his face in his elbows. Clint chuckled.

"Actually, punk, you are allowed to. You're legally an adult, after all." Clint rubbed the boy's back. "But this place has security issues, remember? I'll have to ask Stark to put in a scanner at our elevator door, and whoever you bring home has to consent to a check by Jarvis. And I'll want to meet her."

Pietro turned around. His butt was red, but the lotion felt good and Clint was smiling at him. "Get up, punk." Clint said, and Pietro flashed onto his lap.

"One thing though." Clint looked at the boy. "How are you going to manage things? With your superpower?" Pietro flushed a deep red. "Jarvis, any spiders within hearing range?" Clint asked.

"No, agent Barton," came the reply.

"Alright, my lap might be a little awkward for this. Move to that recliner, but sit close." Pietro obeyed.

Peter was stretched out on the floor of the teens' lounge when Clint left the discipline room. He gave Peter a grin before stepping over him and walking to the elevator. A few minutes later, Pietro came into the lounge, whooping.

"You like spankings that much?" Peter asked in a dry voice.

"Clint says I can bring girls up to my room." He fell back onto the couch, then got up holding his bottom. Peter giggled, and Pietro glared.

"What girls?" Peter asked, hoping to shift the conversation back.

"Well, anyone I like, basically?" Pietro started. The elevator opened at that moment, and Peter tried to signal Pietro to stop. "You go after a girl enough, and she'll agree, right?" Pietro said, just as Tony stepped out.

"I came in here to map out a running track around the whole floor." he said, "But now I see I have more important things to do." Tony sat down on the couch and motioned the boys to sit down. "Rabbit, you don't go after women like that," he said to Pietro, "that's called harassment."

Tony was still talking to the boys when Steve stepped into the room. Curious, he moved closer, and his eyebrows shot up. Tony was teaching the boys to flirt! Something he had never managed to do without stammering. He walked up to the couch and sat down, getting three identical stares. "Nothing. Go on." Steve said, and Tony continued.

"Compliment her, but don't use some cheesy pick up line." Tony said, and Steve looked at him as earnestly as the boys. Tony fought back chuckles. It was a good thing Peter and Pietro had their eyes on him.

"Now, you boys have had the talk? Safety, STDs?" Tony asked.

"Yeah," Peter said. "That was a horrible afternoon." Pietro, however, had a blank look on his face.

"Get Clint here!" Steve yelled to Jarvis, and the archer turned up a few minutes later.

"We have some news for you. Pietro doesn't know anything about STDs and safety." Tony said gleefully, and Clint rubbed his temples. Of course he didn't. "And how did you come to this realization?" he asked Tony, with his hands on his hips.

"I'm teaching the boys a few fine skills in the art of flirting." Tony replied. "We just reached the point where I was explaining how not to be a brute on the first date."

"Like not being a smartass?" Clint raised an eyebrow and Steve chuckled.

Tony ignored it. "The thing to remember is, even if you know that one girl's OK with something, don't try it with another girl without asking."

Steve cut in for the first time. "Like the way some men pinch the necks of their girls hard enough to bruise."

"Cap!" Peter giggled.

"That's not.." Pietro stammered through his laughter.

"No, Steve, that's not really condoned anywhere now." Tony said, his face and tone deathly serious. The boys stopped laughing and stared at the men. "Where did you see that?"

"One of the USO girls. She said her boyfriend did it, I asked if he was being abusive, and she said pinching was just something that's done." Steve looked up, his face serious and pale. "I wanted to report him, you know? And another girl said it's really not that important." Tony looked at Clint, whose face looked frozen.

"Yeah, you boys don't bother about that stuff." Clint added. "Tony, I need to talk to you about those additions to my bow. Boys, ten minutes before you fall in for training."

The boys went to change for training, and Steve went to the teens' classroom where he had been headed in the first place.

Clint and Tony entered the elevator and the door closed. The two men took one look at each other and fell against the walls laughing.

"Never know when torture resistance training will come in handy." Clint said, setting Tony off again.

"Have some more torture due, though. Maybe it'll be practice for when I talk to Cooper. And i get to tell Nat that she needs to give the talk to Wanda." Clint grinned. "At least I don't have to give it to Captain Bloody America!"

"No, you bowstring-happy idiot. That's my job" Tony snapped as the elevator doors opened, and Clint rode it back down.

"Jarvis, tell Steve that I need him at the penthouse to sign a few papers, will you?" Tony said and took a deep breath.


	19. Chapter 19

"Come on, into the bedroom." Tony opened the door and motioned Steve inside.

"What? Your bedroom? Why? And what new papers do I have to sign?" Steve asked, standing up straight with his hands on his hips. Tony winced inwardly. He had to show off his Superhero pose now, of all times.

"Just go in, Capsicle." Tony pushed Steve through the open door and followed him in.

Steve looked around the room, eyes going wide. Tony's bedroom had only a few pieces of furniture - a couple of tables and a little fridge, but his bed was humongous. There were control panels unobtrusively placed in a number of places, and no less than five doors leading out. One of them was an elevator, Steve noticed with a chuckle. The man had earned his comfort, of course. And his dad had made it easier for him. And both were good men.

"What? Too much?" Tony asked.

"Not for someone who carried a missile on a one-way trip and tops the philanthropists' list every year!" Steve grinned. Tony winced again. The man was at his best.

"All right, sit down." Tony said and Steve obeyed, his face open and curious.

"The reason I brought you here is that this room is spider proofed completely. Can't hear a word." Tony said, and Steve nodded. "The pinched neck. It looked like this, didn't it?" Tony handed Steve a StarkPad with an open web page.

"Yeah." Steve said seriously and took the tablet from Tony. A minute later, Steve gasped, turned a deep red, threw back the tablet, then threw himself face down onto the bed. He pulled a pillow over his head for good measure.

"Steve." Tony sat down next to him.

"Oh my God! I'm sure she told everyone! They giggled at me for a week then!"

"Seventy years, remember?" Tony fought down chuckles.

"How long is it going to take Peter to figure it out? Pietro is smart too!" Steve's voice was muffled. "Now they're going to giggle behind my back all the time. And Clint knows!"

"Steve, it's really not that bad." Tony said, keeping his voice light. First the panic attack, now this. It was hard to reconcile the Superhero persona burnt into his brain with what he was seeing that week. His father had told him several times, "You could see that scrawny kid inside if you looked close enough." Not just scrawny, Tony realized. Also innocent and much younger than his years, even if the time in the ice was set aside.

"We do need to attend to your education, Captain America." Tony said, and Steve chucked the pillow at him. "I've never seen a face turn that red." Tony laughed making Steve promptly stick his head in another pillow.

"Steve, it's OK, you're the youngest among the adults here, after all." Tony said, taking the pillow away. Steve sat up on the bed, cross-legged with his head in his hands. Tony poured Steve a drink and one for himself. Steve didn't pout when he took the drink but was close. "How experienced are you, really?" Tony asked in a voice he usually reserved for Peter. He was talking to a child. Almost.

"Not much. Women didn't notice me, you know? Only Peggy did." Steve said, blushing slightly. The voice had worked, Tony thought. The man was opening up.

"What about after, you know?"

"Some threw themselves on me, yes, but that was uncomfortable." Steve said to his glass.

"So, did you and Peggy...?"

"No." came the answer.

"You knew her for years, didn't you?" Tony asked.

"We did kiss." Steve blushed again.

"Well, I hadn't realized things were so different back then." Tony said.

"It wasn't that different. Howard asked Peggy to have a fondue once, and-" Steve broke off and bit his lip. "I'm sorry."

"I'm no stranger to what my dad was." Tony chuckled. "And yeah, I know the fondue story. I'm probably the only guy who knows where the marks on your shield come from." Steve cracked a shy smile. Tony grinned. If any of the kids were in this state, they would have been inside Steve's hug before they knew what was happening. "So my dad and your other friends - they didn't try to get you to - ask a girl out?"

"Well, Peggy was already there when I met Howard, and Bucky did try, before." Steve chuckled and Tony smiled. Steve broke off, thinking of Bucky.

"Sergeant Barnes. He's there in the books too." Tony said, hoping that the memories clearly running through the other man's head weren't too painful. Of course they would be, he corrected himself. A perfect memory meant every painful detail was intact.

"He was a good man." Steve said in a flat voice and stared into his glass. "Wouldn't hurt a fly if he could help it."

Tony noticed uneasiness in the other man's eyes for the first time, and asked, a little worriedly, "Steve, you OK?"

Steve took a deep breath and asked. "Tony, you know about the Winter Soldier?" Tony nodded, wondering about the sudden topic change. "Well..." Steve started, and bit by bit, the story began to spill out. Tony moved a little closer.

"I have a week left to answer Thor." Steve finished, leaning back against the bedframe. Speaking out the problem had been a huge relief. "I don't know what to do!"

The story was too much to take in suddenly, but Steve needed an answer. And to Tony, the next step was very clear. "Whatever he's done, he's in the same position as Clint and Bruce. Tell Thor to find him, Steve." he answered, and Steve was about to say something more when the private elevator beeped.

"Who is it?" Tony called.

"Agent Natasha Romanoff!" came the voice, and Tony waved the door open. Natasha stood there, suited up to her gauntlets. "There's a very distracted spiderling in the training room. Because his mentors are not there. I asked Jarvis, who told me that Steve Rogers is with Tony Stark in The Master Bedroom. What are you two doing?"

"Nothing, just talking." Steve stepped off the bed.

"Shoes on the bed. Disgusting."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Tony!"

"It's easily fixed, Steve. Don't worry." Tony said.

"Yes, Steve, don't sound so pinched." Natasha said, and ran back into the elevator. Steve ran towards her, stopped when the door closed, then ran to the other elevator. Tony poured himself another drink.

Steve walked into the training room, cowl on and face set, not a vestige of embarrassment on his face. Peter was in his spider suit with the mask off, doing rapid cartwheels on the ceiling. He suddenly leaped to the opposite wall, and Wanda dropped Clint from where she had been levitating him. The archer rolled gracefully out of the fall but glared at Peter.

"Peter Parker, get down here." Steve said, in a normal voice. He was not going to be harsh with the kid, but he had to be disciplined and he had an idea. Peter jumped down, gulping. The other superheroes stopped what they were doing.

"You do not mess around in training." Steve said, keeping his voice level. "It's not good for you, and it disturbs the others."

"Yes, Cap." Peter looked down. This was usually the point where he would get wheeled around and swatted.

"I am not going to spank you, but you will be disciplined if you misbehave." Steve said, and Peter nodded, still not looking up. "Jarvis, when we're done with training, get Peter a broom." Steve called out and looked at Peter.

"Once you're done here, go to Natasha's floor, the sunbathing terrace." He turned to Nat, who nodded. The area was cleverly hidden from peeking eyes. "Sweep the sunshine off it." Steve said with a perfectly straight face, but chuckles and giggles burst from the others.

"I'm not joking. And it's field training today. Nothing barred." Steve said, and they stopped. The twins groaned.

"Cap, but.." Peter started.

"I said, field training." Steve said, again in a level voice. Peter pouted, but nodded. Field training was brutal, without any encouragement from the team. The teens hated every session. Now he had punishment afterward.

"Romanoff, hand-to-hand with me!" Steve called and Natasha walked up. "Jarvis, pair up the others." Natasha struck out almost before he had finished the sentence, and Steve threw her to the floor.

Peter was paired up with Thor, Clint with Wanda and Pietro with Tony. Clint was almost too fast for Wanda, and Pietro's speed was no match for the Iron Man armor. All three teens took a few hard hits but then their training kicked in and they started to fight back.

Natasha threw Steve to the ground once, then again. Steve looked up from the floor. Peter was moving randomly, enough to give Thor a few false starts, Pietro and Tony were at a standstill, and Clint's arrows were getting deflected in interesting ways. As he looked, Pietro kicked Iron Man's foot from under him. Good, thought Steve as he threw Natasha off. S

When Steve finally called a halt, the twins, as well as Clint and Natasha, collapsed onto the ground, exhausted. The training had been tiring, but the team had let off a lot of stress and anxious energy. While Steve hugged the twins, Peter picked up the broom and stalked out. He was more relaxed, he wasn't getting spanked, but this was so silly!

Tony pulled the covers up to Peter's chin and sat down on the edge of his bed. Peter had sulked right through dinner, though Steve had gone to the terrace right after sunset. Apparently, the hug had not been enough.

" , it was horrible!" Peter pouted, his arms crossed. "Jarvis kept saying 'Peter, you missed a spot.' He's evil at times. And where does Cap get these ideas from?"

"I know, but you messed around, and it was close to sunset when you went up." Tony grinned. That had been extremely creative of Steve.

"It was humiliating!"

"No one saw you. No one is going to bring it up again. And Steve is going to keep doing this. Do you think Pietro and Wanda are going to be exempt?" Tony said, but Peter just pouted again.

"Mr. Stark, I was just thinking..." Peter started worrying the edge of his blanket.

"About what, Tarantula?" Tony smiled at him. Tucking the boy in seemed to be a very good way to make the boy talk.

"That glove you were developing? It would be quick, wouldn't it?" Tony's eyebrows shot up. That was unexpected.

"Yes, it would." He agreed, in a level voice.

"How long will it take to finish it?" Peter asked, looking at his blanket.

"Just needs testing." Tony kept his voice light.

"Let's test it out then?" Peter asked tentatively, and Tony nodded with a smile. "We'll do it tomorrow," he said, giving Peter's foot a pat through the sheets. "That was very, very brave, Peter Parker." he added before leaving the room.

"This is it, Peter." Tony held up his hand, covered in a dark red glove. There were gold lines drawn on it, and it didn't seem thick at all.

"Force sensor built into the palm, into the material itself - a display on the back which I can see. Now, all I need to know is how much force you can take." Peter gulped. He was wearing shorts, leaving his thighs bare for the glove.

Steve, standing next to Peter, patted his back. "Sit on the table, pet. That way, you can see it coming, and it won't be that scary," he said. Peter hopped onto the table, and Tony stepped up next to him. After a quick nod from Peter, Tony raised his palm. He steeled himself, brought the glove down...and received a hard blow to his upper arm.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to..." Peter stammered as Tony swore and clutched his arm. Peter's hand had lashed out as if on its own accord. Steve had a hand over his mouth.

"His reflexes, Tony. We've trained him too well." Steve said, still forcing a chuckle back. "Spiderling, reach behind your back and hold onto my hand. That way you won't react so quickly." Peter obeyed.

"That's true, but I'll be better off armored." Tony summoned the arm of his suit. "Don't worry, Tarantula. It's not connected to a power source." he said, and brought his hand down again. It landed with a sharp slap, but Peter didn't wince.

"I felt it, Mr. Stark." Peter said. "It just didn't hurt." Tony showed Peter the readout on the glove. "It wasn't much, Tarantula. I'll keep doing it. Let's see when it starts hurting. Peter nodded, gulping again. Steve kissed the top of his head.

Tony brought the glove down once, then a second time. "Ow!" Peter said. "I felt that one!" Sure enough, Peter's thigh had a red mark. Tony was surprised. That had required less force than what he had expected.

Steve was already hugging Peter. Tony released the arm, took off the glove and opened up his arms, and Peter leaped into them.

"Is it less scary, Aragoglet?" Tony asked. "Yes, less noisy too." Peter said, giving his thigh a rub.

"Then we're done, Tarantula. Now all you need to do is get into trouble so that we can do a field test." Tony said and Peter pouted.

"Judging by what I just saw, it'll be over quickly, pet. Just don't get into new trouble in your spare time." Steve added. Peter pouted at him too, and Steve chuckled.


	20. Chapter 20

Tony walked in step with Clint, tablet in hand. Clint was carrying a new bow and a handful of arrows.

"We'll continue testing once I'm back from the board meeting." Tony said, "I'll get it ready for you as soon as possible."

"Thanks, but I'm going to the farm this afternoon. Won't be back till tomorrow, and you're booked up then, aren't you?" Clint adjusted his grip on the bow.

"Hmm, if Bruce can observe you, I'll do the adjustments, but he doesn't know..." Tony broke off when Clint put a finger to his lips and backed up against the wall. Tony followed suit, and Clint slowly moved along the corridor and looked into the next room.

Peter Parker was squatting on the ceiling, headphones on and eyes closed, head marking time to the music. The men walked to him, chuckling. Clint prodded him with the blunt end of an arrow and his eyes flew open. He jumped down next to the men with a grin, saying "Hey, Clint, Mr. Stark!"

Tony smiled back, mentally kicking himself. Peter knew every detail in Clint's weapons, and how exactly Tony liked his observations collated. "The explosive arrows are veering right, Tarantula. By more than half a degree." Tony said and Peter's eyebrows narrowed. "Go with Clint, see what's going wrong. Extensive data, understood?" Tony asked, and Peter nodded solemnly. "I'll suit up and meet you at the range, there might be Paparazzi." he said and bounded off. Clint smiled at Tony and walked away. Tony watched them go and took a deep breath. If Peter got into trouble, as he was very likely to, it would mean the glove. And he was not ready, whether Peter was or not. He fought down a shudder and walked back to the penthouse.

"So yeah. A separate trust for the Avengers in both R & D and damage control. It's part of the Stark Industries..." Tony was cut off by a knock on Steve's office door.

"Come in." Steve called, and Peter burst in, talking before he entered the room.

"Mr. Stark, I fixed the arrows. The problem was in the distribution of the explosive in the arrowhead. I tried an obloid instead of the sphere we had, and it worked. You wouldn't believe how straight it flew. Like.."

"Straight as an arrow?" Steve interrupted, opening his arms with a wry smile. Peter leapt into them. "Stepping in for Tony Stark. Impressive, pet." Steve hugged Peter, and the boy smiled, winking at Tony.

He's going to do all the hugging and none of the spanking, Tony thought, and on impulse, held out an arm and said, "Come here, Tarantula."

Peter turned and looked at Tony. "Really, Mr. Stark?"

"Go to him, pet." Steve gave him a gentle push.

"But he told me he's just getting the car door. Two days back." Peter raised an eyebrow at Tony, and got a mild swat on his bottom. He went to Tony, and Tony awkwardly put his arms around him. Peter stood stiffly, but relaxed when Tony shifted from the hug to an arm around his shoulders. "Almost dinner time, Tony. We'll talk budgets later." Steve said and walked to the door. Tony and Peter followed, Tony's arm still around Peter.

Clint Barton waited for the elevator doors to slide open. That had been tedious, Peter wanting to examine the arrows again and again. Even more tedious when Peter wanted Jarvis to scan the arrows, having Clint hold them in every angle possible. The boy was good, though. Finally, the arrows were back in the workshop. Now for a hot bath, some quality time with the little punk, and then head home for a night with...

He stepped through the open doors and stopped short. The entire wall in front of him was covered in paint - a bright, multicolored mural. So was the floor near the wall, and his protégé, who grinned back at him. His teeth showed white against the bizarre pattern of paint splashes on his face.

"Clint! You're back! Do you like it?" Pietro asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Yes," Clint answered. It was actually good, once he got over the shock of seeing it.

"You're going to love what I did to your bow and quiver!" Pietro yelled, and disappeared.

Clint ran into the apartment in panic.

Pietro ran into the team lounge and jumped behind Steve's couch. The rest of the Avengers stared at him when Clint barged in waving an arrow shaft. "Where is that kid?" He yelled, looking around. Steve heard a gasp from behind the couch.

"Clint, what happened?" Natasha asked, standing up.

"He's covered the lounge and himself in paint, and told me I'd love what he did to my weapons!"

"What did he do?" Steve asked, his face hard. The boy had crossed a line if...

"Cleaned and buffed every inch of my bow and quiver to perfection." Natasha smirked, the rest of the team laughted, and Steve put his hand behind the couch and lifted Pietro up by the ear.

"Come here, punk." Clint beckoned with a finger, and hugged Pietro. "That was a good prank, but no touching my weapons, even to clean them." He said, lightly swatting Pietro, who yelped and rubbed.

"A little over dramatic, don't you think, Speedster?" Steve said, pulling Pietro close. Pietro hugged him, and put a bright red paint covered palm on his back.

The Avengers laughed again, Tony laughing the loudest. "You're our leader in getting pranked, Cap," he called out as Steve went to change his shirt.

Steve thoughtfully pulled a fresh T-shirt over his head. Leader in getting pranked, was he? Time to fix that.

"Jarvis? What are Bruce and Tony fooling around with right now?"

"They are working on high energy nanomagnetic materials, Captain. They are not fooling around." Jarvis' voice was disapproving.

"Magnetism, hmmm?" Steve thought for a second. What would work? "A magnetic monopole has never been observed, am I right?" he asked.

"Yes, Captain Rogers."

"Every instruction I am giving you, from this moment on, is as the leader of the Avengers. You are to mention this conversation to no one other than me, understood?" Steve started pacing the floor.

"Yes, Captain Rogers." Jarvis said.

"All right, then..." Steve started. This needed care.

"Enjoy your dinner, Captain Rogers. I will try my best to tell about your deviousness." Jarvis' said bitterly a few minutes later as Steve walked out. Steve chuckled. The geniuses were up for a nasty surprise.

Tony and Bruce worked in front of several holographic screens, seemingly oblivious to each other. Peter ran to one or the other with a tablet, or worked out equations on a separate screen. The men and the teen were working together but separately, minds busy but not hurried, doing what they loved.

"Dr. Banner? Mr. Stark?" Peter called out suddenly, and the men turned around. "The results in this paper are possible only if there was a monopole present in phase two. Look at this." The men walked to him to look.

"The boy's right." Bruce turned away, pulling up a few more results on the screen in front of him.

"How the fu-fat free yoghurt." Tony checked himself, and called out, "Jarvis, pull up every single paper which used that method."

An hour later, Bruce's hair looked like a bird's nest, Tony had drunk a gallon of coffee, and Peter was looking at the screens upside down.

"Wait a minute." Tony said quietly, his hands in his hips. "This is just not possible. Jarvis, were you given any instructions to alter that paper?"

"You do not have the clearance for me to answer that question, sir."

"I don't have clearance? In my own-?" Tony smacked his head with a palm. "For God's Sake! Pull up Steve on the screen!" he snapped. Bruce stared and Peter dropped down from the ceiling.

"Hello, genius trio. Found any monopoles?" Steve asked from the screen with a grin. He looked at the three tired, furious faces, and signed off with a salute.

"Mr. Stark?" Peter said in a low voice. "My head hurts." Bruce pulled off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"That's what we get when we underestimate a fossil." Tony fell back into a chair. "Stupid super serumed brain."

"Unlike you two, I can stop thinking." Bruce said, turned into Hulk, and walked out.

Peter walked into the lounge, and stopped short when he saw Wanda in her leotard, waving her arms in Cap's face. He pulled out his earplugs.

"HE JUST WALKED INTO THE STUDIO! TOLD ME TO GET OUT! YOU KNOW HE'S STILL ANGRY AT ME, HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW IF HE'S..." Wanda was shouting.

"All right, princess. It's OK. I'm sorry." Steve was saying in a soothing voice.

Pietro stood with his arms crossed. "Cap, really? No 'watch your tone?' No 'act your age?'"

"Pietro, Wanda usually acts her age, and it's sort of my fault that the Hulk interrupted her rehearsal." Steve answered, and Pietro and Peter huffed in unison.

Peter stomped off and sulked through lunch, after which he was informed that he had to train with Thor, who had just arrived.

Peter sulked all the way to the training ground. Thor believed in hard training, and today was no different. Thor tossed boulders at him to catch, and threw each one faster and harder than the one before.

Peter slowed down one with his web and caught it, only to have Thor stop the training.

"The test is to improve your ability, Spider-man, not that weapon on your wrist. You Midgardians place too much trust in your sciences." Thor went on. "Today you were caught without warning by an attempt at humour, just because you saw it in a - a paper? You must understand - papers and thoughts - you cannot rely on them like you do on your training." Peter seethed, but went through the rest of the session. Stupid Norse Gods!

That night, Peter was still thoughtful when Tony came into his bedroom. "Tarantula, It's past your bedtime." Tony said, motioning Peter towards his bed.

"Can I ask you something?" Peter asked, sitting down on the bed.

Tony smirked, saying, "You just did, but go on."

Peter looked at the floor before he asked, "Can I just come here three days a week or something?"

The question took Tony by surprise, but he kept his voice level, and asked"Why, Tarantula?"

"Today started off so awesomely, and then Cap messed with us and Dr. Banner turned into the Hulk, and Wanda yelled at Cap, and he didn't say anything, and Thor's spouting nonsense." Peter said in a single breath, and Tony drew a breath in. The kid had had a difficult day.

"Right. Steve put one over us." Tony started. "That was a good one, you have to agree."

"It was mean!" Peter punched his pillow, and Tony sat down next to him on the bed.

"He's always at the receiving end of pranks, spiderling. And remember, he apologized during dinner?"

"And he said nothing to Wanda! Probably early 20th century treatment. Treating women like queens. Hmph!" Peter punched the pillow again, and Tony looked him in the eye.

"All right, that's wrong in so many ways, we'll need to talk later." he said, and continued, "Now what did-"

"Dr. Banner scared me!" Peter almost shouted, and Tony winced. The boy seemed to live to interrupt him! But yes, he was scared of the Hulk.

"That, we'll talk to Bruce. You'll talk to Bruce, and we'll sort it out." Tony hoped his time was reassuring, when Peter again punched his pillow.

"Thor made me sore all over." Peter said, shrugged, and sank his head into the pillow he had been punching. Tony waited. Was Peter done? From what he knew of the boy, he wasn't.

"Mr. Stark?" Peter's voice was muffled and low, "What if there was really a discovery like that one today, and we don't know?"

"If there was, someone would have found it. And remember, we found out what was happening after an hour?" Tony said lightly,

"What if - what if we can't trust in Science?" Peter looked up.

Tony looked at him. The morning had made them question everything they know, even if it had been just a prank. And he knew what it was to take refuge in a laboratory, to trust in the one thing that worked as it should. He reached out and ruffled Peter's hair, and when Peter leaned in, pulled him into a hug.

"You can trust science even when nothing else can be trusted, Peter. Always." He said, and felt Peter relax. A few minutes later, Peter let go, and it seemed to Tony to be the most natural thing to ruffle his hair gently, guide him into bed, and pull the covers right up to his neck.

"G'night Mr. Stark." Peter said, his eyes closing, and Tony smiled back.


	21. Chapter 21

Spider-man crawled up the wall to the penthouse and crept into his room. Taking his mask off, he fell onto the bed, laughing silently. That should show Thor for putting him through torture, and dissing science. And he had taken enough precautions to ensure he wasn't caught. His bottom tingled at the thought. Oh no, he wasn't going to test out the glove. No way. Quickly changing into pajamas, he crept into bed.

A few hours later Thor's roar broke the silence in the tower. "Avengers, Assemble in the lounge. NOW!" Captain America yelled over the comm.

Peter got out of bed and grinned as he dressed. Today was off to a great start. He ran down to the lounge.

Sure enough, Thor stood in the middle of the lounge waving around Mjolnir. Which was covered in red glitter, and had a pink bow tied around it.

Peter bit back a giggle. Wanda and Pietro were grinning too, and the other adults seemed to be forcing back laughter. Only Thor and Steve weren't. Thor was more upset than Peter had expected, and - Peter gulped when he saw - Cap was furious.

"All right! Who did it?" Steve glared at Tony.

"I didn't!" Tony shrugged and sipped his coffee.

"Clint?" Steve asked.

"Not me, Cap. And kids, I hope you remember messing with a weapon is a spanking offense!" Clint said, and the teens blushed.

"Oh!" Wanda gasped suddenly and the team looked at her, Steve fixing her with a death glare. "Nothing, Cap," she said, and looked down. Steve crossed his arms and continued glaring at her. "Eyes up, Wanda!" he commanded, and Peter felt uneasy.

"Steve," Bruce interrupted. "I think she noticed how the glitter is spread. Narrows the field of suspects a bit." he said, and Wanda sighed in relief. Steve looked at the hammer, and Peter saw his anger practically melt off.

"Ah!" Steve grinned. "It does, in fact." He raised an eyebrow in Peter's direction.

"It has never happened before!" Thor boomed, grinning at Peter. He didn't look upset now.

Peter felt a chill run down his spine as the others turned to him too, with "Wow!"s "Ahhh"s chuckles and grins.

"What, Cap? Why me?" Peter stammered.

Pietro let out a sigh. "Dude, you've been caught red handed." he said, "But, wow, man!"

"What?" Peter said, his voice a little panicky. "What pattern? The glitter is all over!"

"That is exactly what points to you as the culprit, young brother-in-arms!" Thor said, holding out Mjolnir.

Peter took the hammer and turned it around. It was just like the night before, very light compared to how it looked. "Well? It's not like my fingerprints are there!" he shrugged. The team chuckled again.

"Peter, are you saying that you didn't do it?" Tony asked, looking Peter straight in the eyes.

"No. I mean I'm not saying I didn't." Peter answered, looking at his feet. What was going on?

"Pet, there's something you should know, " Steve was grinning now, "but I think that can wait after Mjolnir is clean, and you've been spanked."

Peter winced at the word, then pouted.

"Steve, don't you think that's a little harsh? I mean, what he's done..." - Tony put an arm around Peter's shoulders. It was unexpected, but was what Peter needed right then. He leaned against Tony.

"You don't meddle with another warrior's weapons. You do remember being told that?" Steve asked with his hands on his hips, but his voice gentle.

Peter nodded.

"You remember that I said whoever does it will end up with a sore bottom?" Steve asked in the same gentle voice.

Peter nodded again. At least Cap wasn't glaring at him.

"Discipline is a requirement even for the most worthy warrior!" Thor boomed, and Steve reached out and ruffled Peter's hair gently, while saying "Tony?" Tony sighed.

"Come on, Tarantula!" Tony said, guiding Peter towards the elevator. "Couldn't wait to test out the glove?" He asked, making Peter blush.

"Mr. Stark?" Peter asked as the door closed.

"Yes, Peter?"

"Can't I do something else? Like count the grains of sand in the shaker?" Peter asked in a tiny voice.

"Why? Are you getting a stomachache again?" Tony asked in a quiet voice.

"No." Peter answered. He just didn't want a spanking.

"Are you scared, child?" Tony looked at Peter closely.

"Not really." Peter admitted as the door opened, letting himself be walked down the corridor.

"All right, come on." They were at the discipline room, and Tony led Peter inside.

Tony took a deep breath. Would it be all right to skip the spanking if his stomach was churning? He steeled himself, and said, "Get your jacket and belt off and on that hook, Peter. Let's get this over with," before sitting down on the recliner. He looked at Peter. The boy looked scrawny, and he wouldn't have his super strength once Tony had the glove on.

Peter hung up his jacket and belt and walked to Tony's right. He undid his jeans without being told.

"Good boy," Tony said, then pulled Peter down gently to lie across his lap. He took another deep breath. This was going to be difficult for both of them. Peter crossed his arms and rested his head on them. This was not fair at all.

"It was just a little glitter!" he said, pouting.

"And you're getting just a little spanking." Tony said, hoping he had said the right thing, and patted Peter's bottom. "Raise your hips, Tarantula."

Peter raised his hips and huffed as his pants were pulled down. Tony then pushed up Peter's shirt, and rested a hand on the boy's back. Peter gripped the recliner cushion tightly as Tony touched the waistband of his underpants. Tony rubbed Peter's back and, with barely steady hands, started to pull his underwear down.

Cool air wafted on Peter's bottom, and Tony pulled down the underwear to the middle of his thighs. Peter felt gooseflesh prickle up on his bottom. How was that glove going to feel?

Peter heard a whirring noise and looked up. His bottom was bare, pale pink, and a robotic arm was rolling a glove on Mr. Stark's right hand.

"Mr. Stark, that's creepy!" Peter said. Tony winced. He did not need that right now, but the kid snarked when he was nervous.

"It's convenient. And you looking over your shoulder is really not convenient for what I'm about to do." Tony said, and winced again. Snarking back? The kid and he were alike, all right. But now he had a task to do. "Head down and bottom up, Peter." Tony said, resting the gloved hand on Peter's bare bottom.

Peter put his head down, and Tony smiled as he wiggled his bottom back into position.

"Why are we here, Peter?" Tony asked, remembering Jarvis.

"Because I'm going to be disciplined." Peter answered.

"And how exactly are you going to be disciplined?" Tony asked, steeling himself again and raising his hand.

Ohhhh, Peter thought. "With a spanking." He said, and the first spank landed on his right cheek. Ouch! That stung! Though not like that metal gauntlet!

Tony saw the readout on the glove. It was well within the limits on what Peter could bear. Hopefully, he could get this over soon. He landed another spank on Peter's right cheek.

"Right. Tell me why you're getting spanked, Peter?" Tony asked, spanking each cheek once more.

"Ow! Ow! For spreading glitter on Thor's stupid hammer!" Peter squirmed.

Tony gave him four brisk spanks. "Wrong answer, spiderling. Try again."

"Owwwww! For getting caught, and I still don't know how!" Peter tried to wiggle away from the spanking. "Owwwww!"

"That's wrong too, little genius!" Tony, slowly getting comfortable with the task at hand, gently shifted Peter to prop up his bottom a little more, and landed three spanks to each cheek. Peter's bottom was turning rosy. "Try again!"

"I messed with someone's weapon." Peter said.

"Correct!" Tony agreed, and started spanking Peter steadily, alternating cheeks. Peter kicked. Mr. Stark was making sure that every spank landed in a place he didn't expect, and his bottom was getting warmer by the second.

"Why was it wrong, Spiderling?" Tony asked.

"Because - because, Ouch! he might need it anytime? Owww! And it might not work? Ow, Ow!" Peter kicked harder.

"Correct." Tony said, and clamped a leg over Peter's legs. Peter tensed, waiting for his bottom to get spanked again.

Tony waited for Peter to relax. The instant he relaxed, Tony landed hard spanks, one on each cheek.

"Owwwwwwwww!" Peter held on to the cushion tightly. Those were hard!

"Hang on, now." Tony said, and started spanking Peter hard, leaving a few seconds between spanks while shifting Peter around so that his whole bottom felt the lesson being imparted. Peter started to sniffle. When every inch of Peter's cheeks was as red as he wanted, Tony stopped and gave them a rub. Peter raised his head a little.

"Peter, time to get your undercurve up. A few there, and we're done." Tony said gently, and shifted Peter, and pressed a button to reposition the recliner. Tony rubbed Peter's back again. The boy could take more spanking, but this wasn't a serious offense. They were almost done, thankfully.

"Mr. Stark, I think you've already spanked there, and..." Peter started, but stopped when his undercurve came into prime spanking position. This was going to be awful.

"Dumb inventions. Dumb glove. Dumb old recliner, Dumb hammer." He mumbled, as the first hard spank fell on his left undercurve.

"Owwwwwwww!" Peter wailed, but before he finished his first wail, the next spank landed.

Tony landed four more red hot spanks to the boy's sit spots, and looked at his work. Peter wasn't crying outright, but was quite teary.

He raised his hand, and the arm rolled the glove off. Sagging in relief, Tony rubbed Peter's bottom.

"Shhh, Tarantula. It's over now. Clean slate." He said, and reached for the lotion. "Let's soothe that burn a little."

Peter relaxed a little while lotion was spread on his bottom. It still stung, though. And the sting wasn't dropping away like it did when he was over Cap's lap. Sitting down was out of the question for god knows how long. Who invented spankings anyway? He sank his face into the cushions.

Wasn't he getting a hug? Peter thought suddenly. Maybe he shouldn't expect it. He was fifteen, after all, he thought, reaching for a tissue to dry his eyes.

His pants were pulled up then, and he felt strong arms helping him up, right into a hug.

"I won't forget this, silly little spider." Tony murmured. Peter held on tightly while Tony rubbed his back.

"You all right, Eight Legs?" Tony asked, holding Peter by the chin. Peter nodded, and leaned into Tony's hug again. His bottom was on fire, wasn't healing, but the hug felt good.

Tony held the boy tight. Somehow, spanking the boy's butt had made hugging him easier. Maybe that's why Steve was always cuddling him.

Peter squirmed. Mr. Stark's lap wasn't as muscular as Cap's, and was a little too bony for a freshly-spanked bottom. He could still listen to his chest, though, and that would be good, Peter decided, laying his head on Tony's chest. And felt the hole under his shirt. His eyes flew wide open.

Tony saw Peter, and sighed. It had been easier to retain the casing of the socket than to fill the opening with something when they took the arc reactor out. He wore a cover on it when he was out, but not at home. Now Peter was going to freak out.

Peter didn't freak out, but had gone quiet. The kid was smart enough to figure out what it was, Tony realised. But now he didn't know what to say. Time to change tacks. And call Steve. Or do both, while making the hooligan on his lap laugh.

"Hey, Tarantula?" Tony called quietly.

"Yes, Mr. Stark?" Peter looked at him.

"Steve has a comm in his ear right now. Just in case things went wrong and I needed help. I just need to tell Jarvis to transmit what's going on." Tony said, rubbing Peter's bottom gently. Peter nodded.

"So how about you scream a little?" Tony asked.

"No, no... He'll spank me again for crying wolf or something." Peter shook his head, and rested it on Tony's shoulder.

"I'll take the blame. Now, come on." Tony winked at Peter, then motioned Jarvis to transmit.

"Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah, Mr. Stark, please. Aaaaaaah!" Peter screamed, then buried his head on Tony's shoulder. Seconds later, Steve burst into the room, almost out of breath.

"Hey, Steve!" Tony waved as Steve glared at him and Peter muffled his laughter.

"Can't say I'm not happy to see that." Steve smiled at Peter, sat down in the other recliner and patted his lap. "Bottoms up, pet. I want to take a look. See how well that glove worked." He said,

"Cap!" "Steve!" Tony and Peter both protested, but after a look from Steve, Peter laid down over his lap. It wasn't like someone new was seeing his butt, and he wasn't against the idea of giving it some air.

Steve bared Peter's bottom, and the boy blushed. Cap's lap was comforting, however, and his bottom was getting rubbed gently. But then Steve pulled out a little scanner that Bruce used to examine muscles, and Peter stuck his head into the cushion.

"Caaaaaaaap! This is embarrassing." Peter's voice was muffled.

"Seems OK. No harm done," Steve announced, pulled up Peter's pants, pulled him into a cuddle, and kissed his forehead. Then he took a vial out of his pocket.

"Thor gave me this healing potion," he said. "It seems Jane Foster has taken it, so it's safe."

"It's OK?" Peter asked back, looking at Tony as well.

"Yes." Both men answered. "You're worthy of healing, Tarantula!" Tony said and Steve chuckled. Peter uncorked it and looked around uneasily.

"Bottoms up, Tarantula." Tony said. Peter pouted at him, but downed the potion. He felt his bottom heal instantly, and a second later, felt incredibly drowsy. "Go to sleep, pet." Steve said, holding him against his chest. "There's a lot to do once you wake up." What was going on, Peter wondered as he fell asleep.

Peter woke up in his own bed, feeling exceptionally good. The potion had taken care of the remaining vestiges of the previous day's workout too.

"You are to go to Captain Rogers' office immediately, Peter." Jarvis announced. Peter took a moment to clean up and walked down.

He knocked on Cap's door, and was called in. He opened the door hesitantly. Mr. Stark was sitting across the desk from Cap, and Thor was there, to his surprise. Peter walked to the desk a little nervously.

"Sit down, young man." Cap beamed at him. Tony motioned to the chair next to him. Peter sat down, and Thor laid a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Jarvis, let's have the videos. Starting from the crater, everyone who tried their hand at Mjolnir." Tony ruffled Peter's hair as he spoke, and Peter looked at the holoscreen that opened up.

Ten minutes later, Peter looked around at the men, fidgeting and pale.

"Mjolnir has found you worthy, young warrior. You will possess all the power of Thor!" Thor boomed, and Peter looked down. What did that even mean?


	22. Chapter 22

Wanda were in black skirts and jackets, Wanda's trimmed in scarlet. Clint and Pietro were in their fighting outfits, though their weapons were off. Steve, Rhodey and Sam were in their dress uniforms and Bruce was in just a bathrobe. Tony arrived in jeans and a thin T-shirt.

Peter, suit and mask on, shifted from foot to foot. There were soft conversations going on. Pietro apparently had a problem with his outfit, and Sam wanted Cap to come to his PTSD group... Peter tuned out. He had no idea what he had gotten himself into, and what Thor had planned. The team were dressed for something solemn, but what? And he had an uneasy feeling about that bathrobe. He looked around. Pietro flashed off at a word from Tony and reappeared, grinning in a double breasted suit trimmed in Sokovian colors. Steve smiled at Pietro and Tony, and nodded to Peter.

Peter walked over to Steve, and Tony moved to Peter's left, summoning his armour. Before Peter realised it, Bruce had stepped out for a second. Now the Hulk and the Avengers were standing in a circle, silently, with their eyes on the sky. A clap of thunder sounded and an instant later, Thor stood in the centre of the circle, resplendent in golden armour, cape and helm. Oh, that was the God of thunder all right. Peter gulped.

"Talks to traffic lights." Peter heard Tony's whisper, and forced a smile.

"Spider-man, step forward." Thor boomed. Peter stepped into the centre of the circle, his heart pounding. Behind him, Steve and Tony moved to close the circle again.

"You have been judged worthy of wielding Mjölnir, the great hammer forged by Odin in the flames of a dying star." Thor's voice made Peter's knees shake a little. "By my father's word, you now possess all the powers of Thor."

Thunder sounded again at the last word. Peter felt gooseflesh.

"You will now wield the hammer with me and call down lightning to obey your will." Thor said, and held out Mjölnir. Peter put out a shaky hand and nervously looked around the circle. The faces were solemn but encouraging. He put a tentative hand on the handle.

Thor gently pulled him closer and closed his large hand around Peter's. "Just tell the lightning where to go." Thor whispered, and raised Mjölnir to the sky.

A bolt of lightning crashed down on the hammer. Peter held tight, but the handle was cool and didn't even tingle. Slowly, Thor released his grip, letting Peter hold up the hammer on his own.

Peter watched the lightning strike the hammer and his own arm holding it up. "Tell it where to go," Thor had said. Where? Peter thought. Back into the cloud where it came from?

The next instant, a fierce blast of energy shot from Mjölnir into the cloud. Peter jumped back and lowered the hammer. There seemed to be someone clapping at a distance. Slowly, the world shifted back into focus, and Peter realised that the Avengers were the ones applauding.

"Use your powers well, Spider-man!" Thor intoned again and placed his hands on Peter's shoulders, "May you bring glory to yourself and your comrades-in-arms, young warrior!" He turned Peter around. "Pay your respects to your leader." he boomed, leaving Peter in front of Steve.

Pay his respects? Was he supposed to bow? Go down on one knee? Peter wondered, but Steve gripped his shoulders. "I'm proud of you, young man." he said, and stepped aside. Tony clapped him on the back, and to Peter's relief, the solemnity of the occasion lifted. He was congratulated, hugged and patted on the back, and led back inside.

"Go change and get into bed, it's past your bedtime." Steve said to the teens as soon as the Avengers were inside the tower. Peter pouted but checked himself. It wouldn't do to act childish, not now.

"Yes, Cap." he replied and walked off. So he was worthy. And he could control lightning. Would he be able to stop a lightning strike? How many times did lightning strike New York in a month? He entered his room, slipped out of the spider suit, pulled on his pajamas and fell into bed.

"Clint?" Pietro called as he entered their lounge.

"What is it, punk? Nice suit, by the way." Clint smiled.

"Mr. Stark had it made, today it seems." Pietro blushed a little.

Clint motioned Pietro to sit beside him. "What did you want to ask me?" He asked softly.

"Well, so Peter's now worthy. 'Cause he lifted the hammer? And he's a good man and all that stuff. But.."

Clint saw where Pietro was headed, but he still prompted, "But?"

"Well, me and Wanda?"

"Yes, lightning?"

"What makes us - us - be - not worthy?" Pietro finished. Clint sighed and opened his arms.

"Get in here, punk." Clint pulled the boy into a hug. "What that Asgardian relic finds worthy-" he started, but was interrupted by Natasha's voice.

"Clint, get yours up here. Mine has questions, and it's easier to handle them together."

"You heard her. Get into your pajamas and let's go." Clint slapped Pietro's back.

Tony wrapped his dressing gown around himself and walked across the Penthouse to Peter's room. And almost ran into a large figure. Steve had taken off only his dress jacket. He looked like he had stepped off a parade ground, Tony thought.

"I'll get him settled. You go back to bed." Tony said.

"No, Tony, you've had a long day, I'll tuck him in." Steve answered.

"Pietro will be waiting."

"Rhodey just opened a bottle of Scotch."

"I can hear you, you know?" The adolescent voice made them both crack up.

Peter was lying on top of his sheets. The men sat beside him, one on either side.

"How are you, pet?" Steve asked.

"I don't know." Peter said to the ceiling.

Steve put an arm around him. "It's all right, pet. Nothing's changed. It's just one more tool in your toolbox."

"But Cap, you saw the power that thing has. Imagine if I make a mistake. Or what if I don't make the best use of it? If there's a thunderstorm and people die..." Tony's hand on his shoulder stopped Peter.

"Tarantula, Thor doesn't interfere in Earth's weather, remember?" Tony asked softly.

"He doesn't. But if you think of it that way, we shouldn't be interfering in a lot of stuff, and we do. How about that new gene therapy Stark industries launched last week? We're stopping Natural Selection, why not the weather?" Peter sat up on the bed. "Cap, Mr. Stark, I should do more now. Or else there's no point in..."

Steve guided Peter off the bed and lifted the edge of the sheets, motioning him to get into bed.

"Peter, you're not a superhero because of a spider bite or a suit. You're one because you want to help people. Now you have one more way to help, that's all." Steve said, and Tony nodded.

"You're not my only intern because you can climb walls." Tony added. "It's your mind that matters, young man. So stop thinking about what has changed, you'll do the right thing when you need to."

"But when I have more power, I should be able to stop more bad things happening." Peter looked at the two men. Steve laid a hand on his shoulder.

"You're fifteen. You can't drink, vote or drive, because you're not mature enough for those things. And you're saving lives. You're doing everything you can, young man."

Peter sighed. His mind was too cluttered and his body too full of adrenaline for him to sleep. Steve smiled at him. "Roll over pet," he said in a soft voice. Peter obeyed and Steve started rubbing circles on his back. Tony rolled his eyes at Steve, then started stroking Peter's hair gingerly.

"Jarvis, is Pietro in my apartment?" Steve called out.

"No captain. Agent Romanoff told me that she, the twins and Agent Barton are sleeping in her bedroom tonight." Jarvis answered.

"Woah!" Peter tried to roll over, but Steve stopped him.

"The twins probably wanted to be close to each other and their mentors, pet." Tony looked like he wanted to say something, but stopped.

Peter's breathing slowly became soft and regular, and Tony got up first. He walked off thoughtfully, wishing a good night to Steve.

Steve kissed Peter's forehead, then walked down to his apartment. He booted up his laptop and started looking through the crimes attributed to the Winter Soldier. He was almost through with the 1980s now. This was painful, but it had to be done. They were Hydra's victims, and they needed justice. So did Bucky.

"Pietro, you multiply that by 4, not 2." Steve said.

Pietro took a swing at the holoscreen he was working on, slipped and fell right through it.

Steve looked at him. "Up you get. Finish it." He said in a soft voice.

"Oh, what's the point? I'm not worth a stupid high school diploma." Pietro punched the floor.

"Come here, Speedster." Steve patted his lap.

Pietro's heart began to race. "Cap? Why?" he started.

"No, silly. Come sit here." Steve patted his lap.

"Uh, Cap, I..." Pietro shuffled his feet.

"Right. It's a command. Get here now." Pietro flinched. That voice. He slowly shuffled over to Steve and lowered himself to his lap, hesitantly.

Steve wrapped an arm around the boy and looked at his face. "What did Clint tell you about the hammer finding someone worthy?'" Steve boomed out the last word, and Pietro chuckled.

"Clint said Asgardian customs are stupid, and Peter just managed to check off a number of stuff on Odin's list. Nat said worthy doesn't mean the same stuff on Asgard and Earth."

Steve nodded, holding Pietro. "They're right. The hammer works on what Odin finds worthy, pet. He knows nothing about Earth other than it being one of the realms, and even less about what a good human being is." Pietro listened thoughtfully.

"Peter is not only of strong moral fibre, he's also the strongest, physically, other than Bruce. Remember Bruce can't strategize while he's strong. It could be anything, pet. Even whatever makes him vulnerable to Urü metal." Steve shrugged, and then looked straight into the boy's eyes. "You and Wanda are worthy of every honour that can be bestowed on a warrior. Understood?" Pietro nodded.

Steve looked at Pietro. The boy was definitely more relaxed, but was looking perplexed. And just a bit pouty.

"He gets everything, you know? Spiders don't even bite me." Pietro said, now with a definite pout. "I mean, I and Wanda? The man was mad, and it hurt..."

"I wouldn't know anything about that, would I?" Steve chuckled, making Pietro grin. "I think it hurt for Peter too."

"Peter is confused, pet." Steve continued. And you know, he's not going to get any special treatment." Pietro chuckled.

"How many times has he fooled around with that thing?" he smirked.

Steve smiled. There was no jealousy in that smirk, just friendly amusement. "I'm just glad he didn't throw it to anyone to catch," he said, but continued in a serious tone. "You know how Peter is always on responsibility?"

Pietro raised an eyebrow. "He lectured? You?"

"Not really lectured, but he's talked to me about the Avengers needing to take up more responsibility. And now Thor declared he's worthier than all his mentors. Imagine how that's going to feel."

"Like he's holding up the Earth and Moon!"

"Like he has the weight of the Earth and Moon on his shoulders." Steve corrected gently. "What he needs now is constancy. He needs us to treat him the same way we did before."

"Well, you did, yesterday." Pietro smirked again. "Mr. Stark warmed his butt."

"Yes. But we're not his friends, pet." Steve said, and Pietro looked up.

"Pull his leg, call him a jerk... Do what you usually do. Make him see that he's just the same." Pietro nodded, but then looked down. Steve waited for the question.

"Cap, if it doesn't mean anything, why did everyone say they're proud of him yesterday?" Pietro's voice was quiet.

"We celebrate all your achievements, pet. If you win a contest, or if Wanda gets a nice role in her next recital, we'll all be proud of her too. And you remember I tell you I'm proud of you after every battle?"

Pietro smiled and leaned against Steve. Steve rubbed his back for a few more minutes, and then asked. "Ready to continue, pet?"

Pietro nodded and was about to rise when Steve stopped him. "You stay right here today." he said, and Pietro blushed, but settled against Steve when Jarvis opened up a holoscreen near them. Steve gave him a squeeze. This was good.


End file.
